AI is set to fundamentally transform the manufacturing industry – but how? Through the seminar series “Reliable AI for Industry”, several industrial companies in Skaraborg have gained new insights into AI solutions, EU regulations and strategies for making the best use of the technology.
Some of the participants in the seminar series “Accessible AI for Industry”.
In spring 2025, the University of Skövde, through the ShiftLabs project, offered a seminar series titled “Reliable AI for Industry”. The series, held at the ASSAR Industrial Innovation Arena, covered three themes: AI in various sectors, the EU’s requirements for trustworthy AI, and strategic work with AI. Oskar MacGregor and Maurice Lamb from the University of Skövde were responsible for the content and structure.
“AI clearly offers enormous possibilities, but it is developing so quickly and in so many directions that it can be difficult to navigate all the potential advantages and disadvantages. With this seminar series, we have given participants a better understanding of the AI landscape within the EU – a sort of ‘map and compass’ for their respective AI journeys,” says Oskar MacGregor.
AI helps companies make smarter decisions
One of the participants was Jim Fransson, a developer at Jernbro in Skövde. Before the seminar series, the area of trustworthy AI was largely uncharted territory for Jim.
“I didn’t know much about the field, but now I feel filled with new insights. Everyone will get on the AI train sooner or later, so it’s best to be well prepared. AI could become a major competitive advantage for us as a company. I believe AI will become an important guide in decision-making and will help us work more intelligently in the future,” says Jim Fransson.
Christer Sundqvist (left) and Jim Fransson from Jernbro.
Jim Fransson and his colleague Christer Sundqvist brought a concrete example from their own business to work on during the third day of the course.
“For us at Jernbro, it’s partly about exploring how AI can be a tool when we have a product that needs to be demonstrated and implemented. It’s also about how we handle large volumes of data and how we can prepare that data more effectively. I now have a much clearer picture of how strategic data analysis can be done,” says Jim Fransson.
Putting AI into practice
During the seminar series, participants had the opportunity to test various AI tools together with Oskar and Maurice in order to explore what is already possible today.
The seminar series included, among other things, an overview of accessible AI tools that anyone can already use today.
“Talking about trustworthy AI can sometimes feel a little abstract. In the seminar series, we showed how AI tools can be used in practice – not only to reduce the risk of incorrect information but also to protect sensitive data. We also looked at how to build simple systems that issue warnings when something is at risk of going wrong – all without needing to do any programming. Trustworthy AI is no longer just for experts – there are already tools that anyone can use,” says Maurice Lamb.
Oskar MacGregor and Maurice Lamb, both Senior Lecturers in Informatics at the University of Skövde.
The seminar series was organised within the framework of the ShiftLabs project, which supports small and medium-sized manufacturing companies in adopting new digital technologies. The project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, and Vinnova.
https://www.his.se/en/news/2025/may/ai-in-practice-gives-skaraborgs-industry-a-competitive-edge/