Foreign Minister Valtonen to appoint expert group to examine AI's foreign and security policy implications

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen will appoint a working group of Finnish and international experts to examine the foreign and security policy implications of artificial intelligence (AI) for Finland. The working group will submit its report by the end of November.

The group will be tasked with exploring the opportunities and challenges posed by the AI revolution for Finland and identifying how Finland can reinforce its international position in an age of AI. The focus will be on the security of Finland and Europe, and strategic competitiveness. The working group will make recommendations based on its conclusions.

“Finland must prepare for the changes that the AI revolution brings to international politics and security. There is a lot of discussion on how AI is transforming the economy and work, but we have given less attention to AI’s impact on the international balance of power and the sovereignty and security of states. The AI transformation presents both threats and opportunities, which this expert group will examine to inform decision-making,” Minister for Foreign Affairs Valtonen says.

The working group will be chaired by Patrik Gayer, the Vice President of Global Affairs at NestAI. Other members of the group are: Meredith Whittaker, AI researcher and President of Signal; Vili Lehdonvirta, Professor at Aalto University; Samuel Kaski, Founding Director of ELLIS Institute Finland and Professor; Janka Oertel, Distinguished Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations; Professor Luis Garicano from the London School of Economics; Mårten Mickos, former CEO of HackerOne and MySQL; and Peter Sarlin, Founder and Chairman of PostScriptum. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has established a secretariat to assist the group in its work.

The working group will consult key ministries and Finnish and international experts as necessary. It will submit its report and recommendations to Minister for Foreign Affairs Valtonen by the end of November.