Event
Nobel Calling: Does AI make us stupid?
At the beginning of October, the world's attention turns to Stockholm as this year's Nobel Prize laureates are announced. The Swedish Research Council invites you to a discussion this week, organised in collaboration with the Stockholm School of Economics, Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University. The discussion will explore how AI is affecting human capabilities and skills, and what implications this may have for individuals and society.
Date
5 October 2026
Time
17.00–18.00
Place
Nobel Prize Museum, Stortorget 2, Gamla stan
Organisers
The Swedish Research Council, Stockholm School of Economics, Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University
Register
Free admission, pre-registration required.
The discussion will be held in English.
Does AI make us stupid?
Breakthroughs in science and innovation have always challenged us to develop new abilities. The development of artificial intelligence (AI) provides new tools for many people. At the same time we hand over other skills to autonomous systems.
What does it mean for us as humans when AI takes over more and more tasks – in research, in school, at workplaces, and in everyday life? Are we at risk of using our own thinking ability less, and what happens to creativity, critical thinking, and our ability to see new perspectives when the answers come "for free"? Do we become more innovative when we are spared the basic work, or just more superficial? What does it mean for learning and research when parts of the basic work are automated?
At the same time, AI can serve as a powerful support to free up time and energy and provide space for more innovative thinking, collaboration, and understanding. In this conversation, researchers from the Stockholm School of Economics, Karolinska Institutet, KTH, and Stockholm University come together to discuss how AI affects human abilities and skills, as well as the implications it may have for individuals and society.
Panelists
Moderator: Maja Fjaestad, senior advisor at Karolinska Institutet and associate professor of history of technology
- Åsa Wikforss, professor of theoretical philosophy at Stockholm University and member of the Swedish Academy
- Karl Henrik Johansson, professor of control engineering at KTH and director of Digital Futures
- Carl Savage, senior researcher at Karolinska Institutet, who is researching how complex healthcare systems can be developed
- Stefan Haefliger, professor of digital innovation and strategy at the Stockholm School of Economics
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