Exploring the Nordic State’s Roles in the Fourth Industrial Revolution : A Multi-Case Study of National Artificial Intelligence Strategies and Representational AI Discourse in the Nordic Countries

Sammanfattning: Artificial intelligence (AI) is a research field that has raised both the potential and dilemmas of the impact of advanced technology. This thesis draws its inspiration from studies on National AI strategies, which are countries' papers outlining their vision for their future in AI. This thesis aimed to analyze the Nordic state's National AI strategies using Borrás and Edler’s framework of the roles of the state in the governance of socio-technical systems. Through open coding and content analysis, our findings showcase the roles taken by the Nordic states. The second part investigates how these roles are objectified in discourses of AI, through Laclau & Mouffe's discourse theory and the values of construct and legitimation. Through these values the thesis analysis the language used by official state representatives’ when talking about AI. The findings revealed that the Nordic states take up multiple roles and modes of governance within AI. Concluding remarks showcased that the roles of the state in National AI strategies are connected to the discourse of representation, apart from Sweden in their strategy and Norway in the speeches. The results show that National AI strategies are primarily the objective that guides the daily work of representation.