Fast Forward

From books online to the ultimate commerce conglomerate – will we buy everything from Amazon in the future? 

Brad Stone, author of the book "The Everything Store", gives his prediction about the future for American e-commerce giant Amazon. 

Pernilla Jonsson, PhD in consumer culture and business administration and author of "The purchase revolution", explains how Amazon has changed the consumer experience.

AI is forecasted to fundamentally change how we work. Does that mean that we will be replaced by robots and out of work? Or is the fear unreasonable, will the bots do the boring taskS and leave us to do higher-level jobs? What will happen when we push the AI button?

Listen to

Farshid Amirabdollahian, associate professor in adaptive systems, University of Hertfordshire

Darrel M. West, political scientist, VP Brookings Institute, Washington DC

Jason Bloomberg, President of Intellyx, and Stephan Nilsson, founder and leader of the Norwegian Bitcoin Association discuss the pros and cons of cryptocurrencies and the underlying blockchain technology.

Artificial intelligence is not merely Star Wars-like humanoids.

You have probably communicated with a customer service bot without thinking about it, and you have read an article on an editorial web site that's machine-written, but you didn't notice.

AI is forecast to fundamentally change how we work.

"People whose job it is to listen to other people and satisfy them will pretty soon be out of work due to automation", as MIT robotics professor Andrew McAfee says.

The most visible sign is robots replacing human beings, doing their job. Sometimes better than people. And cheaper.

Beyond the hype, and beyond fear-mongering:

What are we starting by pressing the button?

Is the fear of an AI workforce reasonable – and the hopes exaggerated?

You will hear

Farshid Amirabdollahian, associate professor in adaptive systems, University of Hertfordshire

Darrel M. West, political scientist, VP Brookings Institute, Washington DC

We love to indulge in cool, hyped-up tech startups.

However, the Nordic countries wouldn't endure without its basic industry: the forestry, mining, ore, and steel sectors form essential parts of their economy.

But even wood and commodities go digital – improving efficiency and productivity. How do you make a mine digital? How do you maximize value? And how will the human brain co-work with computers at their best?

You will hear

• Johan Ekenstedt is Business Developer at Sveaskog
• Peter Burman, Program Manager at Boliden Mines Technology  

We all love our smart phones – and there's no way to manage work without them.  

But could our digital usage be too much?

The number of reports of smartphone addictions increases every year, and the "digital detox" industry flourishes accordingly.

How could we find balance between digital and unplugged life? Or is the notion of balance something that will go out of style when we have adopted technology to the fullest?

You will hear

Orianna Fielding, founder of Digital Detox Company and author of acclaimed book "Unplugged"

Ramsay Brown, co-founder of Dopamine Labs

The Nordic and Baltic countries are among the best in Europe at providing digital public services to their citizens. And one of them stands out: Estonia.

Highlighted by researchers and experts all over the world, the young nation provides digital public service way ahead of many other countries.

How did this happen? What could citizens in other countries expect in the future? And what does a nation need to get in place before making government services digital?

You will hear

Dan Strömberg, CEO Telia Company Estonia, Tallinn

Darrell West, VP of Brookings Institute, director of governance studies and director of the center for technology innovation, Washington

Niels van der Linden, management consultant and expert in digital governance at Cap Gemini, Amsterdam

Internet of Things, connecting physical devices to us and to each other, is considered at a "peak of inflated expectations".

Even though Google Home or Amazon Alexa let us control our calendar and command the Internet with the voice, much remains to be done – both on the consumer market and for industrial use.

What is to expect? What are the takeaways from recent IoT projects? And how could connectivity everywhere, all the time, affect us?

You will hear

Michael Kazarnowicz, Digital Strategist

Petra Sundström, Director of Idea and Innovation Management at Husqvarna Group

Malware – ransomware, viruses, trojans and other security breaches – are a nuisance.

The famous Wannacry ransomware attack in spring/summer 2017 cost at least four billion US dollars. Certain studies show that money exchanged in connection mount up to as much as a half per cent of the total world economy.

And ultimately, it is individuals, and small and medium businesses, that are targeted.

What is to expect 2018? What responsibility should an employee take? And who is the hacker – beyond the myths?  

You will hear

Joakim von Braun, security consultant

Christoffer Jerkeby, senior security consultant, F-Secure

Implementing artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning in health care would have huge benefits in our era of aging populations and tight NHS balance sheets. This is a massive hype, fueled by a Silicon Valley investment bonanza.

But remember the 2017 popular catchphrase "AI of today can beat you in chess but it won't know if the room is on fire". Challenges in development, as well as drawbacks in the much anticipated IBM Watson Health platform, makes the world wonder: Where are we in this? How will AI assist the physician? And when will a truly digital experience change my primary care experience?

You will hear Rickard Damm, head of innovation Telia Max Gordon, orthopedist and researcher, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm Magnus Nyhlén, physician and founder of Min Doktor, Sweden