Topic
Technology
Commentary
When talking about Internet of Things, usually the first thing that comes into your mind is technology. Sensors, electronics and networks. Throw a bit of software in the mix and you’re all set, right? Not exactly. In the future, new technologies will emerge and yes, they are a fundamental part of the Internet…
Think about your life at the moment. What are the most important things in your life? How have they changed in the past years? Values shape our opinions about what is important in life. Values are relatively stable, linked to cultural context and once adapted they are not easily changed….
Urbanisation is one of the most important megatrends to shape global society of the 21st century. However, urbanisation puts a strain on the quality of life in cities, as well as the management of big infrastructure systems, such as city traffic and energy usage. The Smart City approach is the…
Have you ever heard of Moore’s law? Well, Moore’s law was developed by entrepreneur and engineer Gordon E. Moore in 1970. He stated that the computing power doubles every two years. Interestingly, this observation has been quite accurate for the last 40 years. For almost twenty years now, consumers have…
At the moment Finns do well. Finland leads the charts in human wellbeing year after year. But there are problems behind the corner. With our current way of life, this level of wellbeing is impossible to maintain. The average Finn uses approximately three and a half times more resources than…
Publications
Robots are moving beyond factories into care, services, construction and logistics. Robotics Scenarios 2040 sets out four possible futures for Finnish working life and seven jointly agreed recommendations for the government formed after the 2027 parliamentary elections. The project also presents seven claims the partners could not agree on, for politicians and society to debate.
Nordic public administrations are among Europe’s most digitally advanced. FEPS policy study authored by Demos Helsinki examines three automated systems in Norway, Finland, and Sweden and sets out thirteen recommendations for public organisations and policymakers on governing automation.
This policy brief focuses on short-term action (2026-2028) around AI governance and provides practical guidelines for experts and policymakers. It introduces a framework that embeds democratic pillars — participation, freedom, equality, transparency, knowledge, and the rule of law — directly into the entire AI lifecycle.
Projects
For those involved in shaping the next phase of European AI policy, FORSEE is a research project that offers both a warning and a roadmap: success must be defined before it can be delivered.
In this digital era, the prevalent use of algorithmic management in the workplace has created a new set of challenges for workers and labour unions. This project studies the profound effects of algorithmic management on workers and labour organising in the Nordic context.
Demos Helsinki and nine other front-running organisations in technology across Europe join forces in this project towards making industrial human-robot interaction (HRI) more accessible, cheaper, and easier to adopt. The particular focus of the project is on HRI in healthcare, intralogistics and manufacturing.
People
Sawsan Abdulbari
Sawsan turns messy problems into clarity and solutions, and she’s usually already learning about the next thing before the last one’s finished. Data science, machine learning and generative AI, all fascinate her, but the technology itself matters less than what it’s for. When a problem is too tangled to see…
Linda Marin
Linda wants technology to be helpful. That want is the foundation of her work when building models, automating tasks nobody wants to do by hand, and going through raw data until value is found. She’s just as comfortable explaining what AI means to someone who has never even heard about…
Max Stearns
Max thrives in the messy moments, when there’s no tried-and-true path for where to go next. Drawing on a background that merges design research and strategy with community organizing, Max applies a patient attentiveness and knack for connecting dots to turn sprawling, cross-disciplinary problems into carefully-honed questions and actionable next…
Artturi Pura
Artturi is driven by the question of how public policy can shape socially just, economically prosperous, and democratically sustainable futures. Recognising that these societal goals are increasingly intertwined with our digital landscape, Artturi explores how to strengthen the capacity of policy to govern and reshape technological change. At Demos Helsinki,…
Ella Välimäki
Ella is an Expert at Demos Helsinki, working at the intersection of society, technology, and the wellbeing economy. She focuses on how engagement and interaction can serve as tools for societal transformation. With a background in international relations and EU politics, Ella is driven by a desire to support a…
Lara Best-Dunkley
In a time of unprecedented geopolitical crises, Lara is the go-to person for a comprehensive and critical understanding of international governance and security. She believes in the importance of compassionate, collective and evidence-based decision-making, especially in the domain of hard security. Lara has a BSc in International Relations and Organisations…
Rita Latikka
Rita is a social psychologist who brings a human-centred perspective to the development and deployment of technologies. Her academic interests include the social acceptance and effects of digital technologies, as well as human-computer interaction. Rita believes that technology is too important to be left solely to technologists and advocates for…
Vera Djakonoff
Clinging on to only what we have now is a lousy way forward. At Demos Helsinki, Vera’s work focuses on anticipatory governance: promoting governments’ and organisations’ ability to both build resilience and drive transformation. A key question in her work is: how can we create and deepen our connection to…
João Sigora
João Sigora is the Vice-Chair of the Board and a Senior Expert at Demos Helsinki. His work centres on pioneering new approaches to governance and enhancing public sector capacity for reimagining and co-creating desired futures. He brings specialised expertise in public sector innovation, with a strong foundation in foresight, experimentation,…
Anna Björk
Anna is a political scientist whose academic love affairs include research on political concepts, societal impacts of emerging technologies, and temporality. Her current research analyses societal transformations from the perspectives of EU digital policy, contemporary social contracts, and inclusivity. Alongside doing research, Anna is also working closely with her colleagues…
Atte Ojanen
Atte is in charge of coordinating Demos Helsinki’s European research funding to enable societal transformation. As a research manager, he is your go-to-person in Horizon Europe and other research collaboration matters. Atte’s own research centers on societal effects of emerging technology, the ethics of AI, and deliberative democracy. Atte is…
Aleksi Neuvonen
Aleksi Neuvonen is a recognised expert and thinker on understanding the change (and unchange) of societies and organisations. Aleksi holds PhD honors from Tampere University and Radboud University Nijmegen. During his career, Aleksi has published over 30 reports, books or academic articles, focusing primarily on methods and tools for transformative…
Johannes Mikkonen
Johannes is dedicated to redefining the terms and conditions of our digital futures by exploring the ways to reshape our current sociotechnical systems, advising on policies to remaster technologies and forming visions of emerging alternative futures. At Demos Helsinki, Johannes has worked with various ministries and Prime Minister’s Offices around…
Themes
Our mission is to help organisations turn uncertainty into possibility by remastering technology and imagining alternative futures.
3 Guidelines for Corporations Wishing to Grasp Collaborative Platforms
November 23, 2015
Facebook, AirBnB, Zipcar, Ebay and Wikipedia. The biggest new services have transformed the ways we eat, sleep, move, communicate and consume. And more often than not, they are also good business. Robin Chase, the co-founder of Zipcar and the author of Peers Inc., visited Demos Helsinki to share her thinking…