This post is also available in: Danish
DGI Huset in Aarhus is buzzing with life, with over 400 AI enthusiasts swarming in and out of the cornucopia of presentations that AI Day participants can choose from. You can hear about everything from the implementation of AI assistants in large companies to how university researchers are working to implement artificial intelligence directly in the brain with microchips.
Behind AI Day is Regin Buss Vels Jensen, who runs the marketing company Nioba. He explains that AI Day was created with the idea of bringing together both experienced and new players in AI technology and to create a space where companies, leaders and other interested parties can learn and gain insight into what AI can do for businesses and society in general.
“We wanted to create an event that would attract a broad audience and present AI in a practical context where attendees can see real examples of how the technology is being used. Many companies realize that AI is becoming crucial, but they lack concrete cases and inspiration on how to implement it. AI Day was created to meet that need and give people a solid foundation to understand and utilize AI in their own contexts,” says Regin Buss Vels Jensen.
Focus on the good use cases
AI Day targets a wide range of participants. Regin Buss Vels says that around 40 percent of registrations come from C-level executives in companies who want to understand the strategic opportunities. Many leaders realize that AI will impact their business, but lack insight into how best to integrate the technology into their daily practices.
“Many leaders know that AI will impact their business, but they lack the insight needed to integrate the technology effectively. I hope that AI Day can give them this knowledge,” says Regin Buss Vels Jensen.
A key focus of AI Day is to present concrete examples of AI in action. Participants are looking for real-life cases where they can see how AI has been used and what the results have been.
“One of our main focus points is to present concrete examples of AI use cases. Attendees are looking for real examples where they can see how AI is actually being used and what results it creates. We want to go beyond the AI hype and focus on the real benefits and challenges that other companies have experienced when working with the technology,” explains Regin Buss Vels Jensen.
AI needs to go from hype to everyday use
One of the speakers at AI Day was Aarhus-based AI entrepreneur and speaker Jonathan Løw. He emphasizes that AI is simply a reflection of human capabilities in machine form, and that its potential lies in how we can use technology to solve complex problems – not just quickly, but also with high quality.
“I always compare AI to ourselves as humans. We can see, speak, write and move, and we’ve learned to mirror the same abilities in machines – we’ve just given them fancy names like machine learning and computer vision. AI is essentially about mimicking the things we can do ourselves and figuring out where it makes sense to let machines take over. It can be smarter, faster and more efficient to put a machine to work,” explains Jonathan Løw.
At AI Day, he wanted to provide insights into how AI can help companies better prioritize their resources. He doesn’t think we need more websites or apps, but rather a technology that can make everyday tasks easier and free up time for more value-adding work. AI should be used to create real improvements, not just superficial optimizations.
“Too many companies still see AI as hype instead of a technology that can solve real problems and create value. At AI Day, I hope to inspire a more realistic and value-creating use of AI,” says Jonathan Løw and continues:
“Therefore, my message is that it should not only be used for quantity, but to create value. I want to show how AI can be used for concrete optimizations that have real impact – not just to pump out large amounts of content.”
AI Day is here to stay
This is the second year that AI Day in Aarhus takes place. And if the people behind it are to be believed, the day will return in 2025.
“The ambitions for AI Day are big and go far beyond what we have been able to offer so far. The vision is to make AI Day a meeting point for both national and international players in AI and robotics. I want to develop AI Day into a platform where companies, universities and technology enthusiasts can experience the latest innovations in AI and autonomous robots,” says Regin Buss Vels Jensen.
The event also has a long-term goal to expand with an exhibition area where attendees can interact with AI-powered robots and intelligent machines, among other things.
“It should be a place where future technology can really be explored and inspire people to innovate and integrate AI into their work and strategy,” says Regin Buss Vels Jensen.