Renowned experts on the challenges ahead

How can Sweden work to prevent gang crime among young people? Will AI take over our jobs and will the world ever be the same as before the war in Ukraine started? These were some of the questions discussed during the conference “Framkant Sverige” (meaning Sweden at the forefront) on 7 May at Jönköping University.

“I think that the day was fantastically well organized and that the topics discussed were well integrated,” says Joakim Paasikivi, military strategist and now retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Swedish Armed Forces.

The JU auditorium at Jönköping University was nearly at full capacity when more than 250 people gathered, together with leading experts, to learn more about some of the issues that will shape our society in the next 15 years.

During the day, visitors listened to Joakim Paasikivi, statistician Ola Rosling, journalist and author Diamant Salihu and digital strategist Claudia Olsson. Under the guidance of moderator journalist Anna Hedenmo, they addressed topics such as defence, the environment, gang crime and the rapid development of AI.

Hear what some of the visitors thought about the day:

Challenging times require knowledge and co-operation

The event was based on the fact that Sweden and the world are facing exciting but also challenging times that require knowledge and co-operation.

Joakim Paasikivi talked about the forces that were set in motion by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, how it affects Sweden and what we as a society need to do to deal with the situation in our surrounding regions.

Another of the speakers was journalist and author Diamant Salihu, who spoke about the destabilised situation that has arisen in Sweden, due in part to increasing polarisation, gang shootings and explosions.

Diamant gave an insight into Swedish gang crime and how ‘child soldiers’ are recruited by criminal gangs. He spoke about certain areas of Sweden that have been completely abandoned by the state, about the lack of schooling and the exclusion and poverty of young people in these areas. These factors have made it easier for criminal gangs to recruit children today, and they often do it with incredible speed.

Diamant Salihu also appreciated the lectures given by the other speakers.

“My topic is about the internal threat that we in Sweden face with gang crime. It is important to make people realise that it is not just a local problem but a bigger national problem. I hope to help create a greater understanding of that today. It's great to be here,” he said.

Addressing topics that matter

Digitalization expert Claudia Olsson spoke about how AI brings people and technology closer together, and statistician Ola Rosling talked about why facts are so important to give us humans an accurate picture of the world, and also how we are affected by factors in our environment that can give us an inaccurate picture of our lives.

At the end of the day, Charlotta Mellander, Professor of Economics at Jönköping International Business School and one of the initiators of Framkant Sverige, was pleased with how the conference went.

Her impression was that both lecturers and visitors had got a lot out of the day.

"It's great that we in Jönköping have been able to invite people to an event with some of Sweden's leading voices in their respective fields. They brought up interesting topics that affect a lot of people,” she says.

Joakim Paasikivi said self-deprecatingly and with a twinkle in his eye at the end of the day:

"I've learnt a lot during the day and I guess people who are smarter than me (and there are an alarming number of them) have also enjoyed it”.