4 We will increase our efforts in prioritised areas

In addition to the foundational prerequisites for the further digitalisation of society discussed in Chapter 3, the Government will prioritise five focus areas that will contribute to realising the full potential of digitalisation and achieve the goals of the strategy.

4.1 Increase data sharing and harness the opportunities in data and data-driven innovation

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Goals

By 2030, the Government wants Norway to be a leader in value creation with data and in data-driven research and innovation. We will participate in the EU’s data space initiatives where relevant.

Status

The potential for creating value with data is estimated to be huge, with data from both the business and public sectors. 96 For example, it is estimated that the economic value of public sector data in the EU will amount to EUR 194 billion in 2030. 97 This means that public data can be of great value if it is managed and shared in such a manner that it can be used for value-adding services and products in society.

Technological developments are driving fundamental changes in production, service provision and digital interaction. New technologies make it possible to extract more value out of data than ever before. Going forward, it will be important to ensure access to good datasets that can be used in the development of AI.

In Report to the Storting (white paper) 22 (2020-2021) Data as a resource – The data-driven economy and innovation , a national goal has been set for Norway to leverage the opportunities presented by data to increase value creation, create new jobs and develop an efficient public sector. Norway has made significant efforts to make public data accessible and to share it over a prolonged period. Various national surveys indicate extensive sharing of public data, both within the public administration and between the public and private sectors. 98 However, there is still significant untapped potential for more data sharing and accessibility. 99

Internationally, Norway ranks among the top countries for the digitalisation of public services and the availability of open public data. 100 Public data refers to all types of information produced or collected by government agencies that is or can be digitalised and stored electronically. Open public data is data that has been made available to the general public.

In its 2023 investigation of the authorities’ facilitation of the sharing and reuse of data in public administration, the National Audit Office of Norway found that national governance and coordination in this area is inadequate.

Government agencies need to become even better at using their own and others’ data to renew and improve public services and to ensure smarter task-solving. Furthermore, government agencies must become better at making data available so that it can be used for new purposes. Data is a prerequisite for the development of high-quality AI solutions needed by the public sector. Statistics from Statistics Norway show that only four out of ten companies in the private sector used public data in 2023. 102

The once-only principle and the requirement for order in your own house are important policy instruments in digitalisation policy and should support the goal of an efficient and user-oriented public sector. The Digitalisation Circular requires all government agencies to have a sufficient overview of their own data, what it means and how it can be used. There is also a requirement for datasets to be registered at data.norge.no.

The Norwegian Digitalisation Agency points out that the work on order in your own house is proceeding slowly throughout the public administration. 103 Therefore, the agency sees a need to focus this work on meeting specific needs, for example by prioritising data that is actually in demand and considered important to the public sector and society.

Data should be shared and used in a responsible and reliable manner. Good information management is an important prerequisite for each organisation to be able to decide which data can be shared and accessed, and which must be protected. According to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), personal data must be used for the purpose for which it was initially collected. The ambition to share more data in the public sector must be in line with privacy legislation. The National Audit Office of Norway points out that these considerations may in some cases conflict with each other. 104

The GDPR 105 is an important instrument to support data sharing in a safe and responsible manner and to build trust. Both public and private organisations report that they devote a lot of resources on understanding and interpreting the provisions of the GDPR. The perception of a complex regulatory framework and the fear of making mistakes and breaking the rules can therefore pose obstacles for those seeking to test out new ideas through data-driven innovation and AI. This is supported by both the Privacy Commission’s report and the National Audit Office of Norway’s investigation into the sharing and reuse of public data in public administration. In the National Audit Office of Norway’s report, both the Norwegian Data Protection Authority and the Norwegian Digitalisation Agency state that privacy protection is often not adequately assessed or assessed early enough in development projects involving data sharing. Therefore, it is important that data protection is assessed at the same time as the legal, technical and functional possibilities are assessed in development projects.

Charting the course towards 2030

In 2021, the Norwegian Resource Centre for Sharing and Use of Data was established as part of the Norwegian Digitalisation Agency. In addition, the agency manages national joint solutions, frameworks and guides that contribute to the sharing and use of public data. The Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Governance will follow up in the management dialogue with the agency on how the policy instruments should be structured and further developed so that the work of realising the value of public data can be further strengthened.

SKATE (management and coordination of services in e-government) has initiated work to identify which data sources should be considered particularly important national basic data, 106 and what requirements and expectations should be placed on data managers. Furthermore, the EU sets requirements for the availability of open data from the public sector and defines particularly high-value datasets. Efforts to make particularly important datasets accessible must be prioritised.

The European Data Strategy of 2020 includes an ambition to create a single market for data and recognises that data is a significant resource for start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as for the development of AI. One important measure in the strategy is to establish a framework for European Data Spaces in important areas of society where data should flow between countries and across sectors in a secure and efficient manner. 107 Currently, Norway contributes funding to the data spaces through the DIGITAL programme. To date, the greatest efforts have been made in the health field (The European Health Data Space, EHDS). There is considerable overlap between the data spaces mentioned in the white paper Data as a resource and the EU’s priorities. The Government will promote Norwegian interests and facilitate national actors in leveraging the opportunities presented by the EU’s efforts in common European data spaces.

The Government recognises the need to strengthen its efforts to make societally important public data available. Therefore, we will establish a national prioritisation council for data sharing, where key stakeholders are represented. The council will help identify and advise the Government on which national data should be prioritised to maximise the value of public data. A similar board already exists in Ireland, called the Open Data Governance Board. 108

The Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Governance is preparing the implementation of the EU’s many regulations that will promote the sharing and use of data. These are the Open Data Directive, the Data Governance Act and the Data Act. 109 The Government-appointed Commission on Data Sharing has proposed that the sharing of public information (data) should be subject to more comprehensive regulation. The Commission submitted its report, Norwegian Official Report (NOU) 2024: 14 Med lov skal data deles Ny lovgivning om viderebruk av offentlige data 110 [Data sharing pursuant to law: New Act relating to the sharing of public data] of 26 June 2024. The Government will follow up the report.

Authorities’ contribution to cross-sectoral collaboration on standards and formats for data sharing is important for the business sector. This is also an important prerequisite for the development of AI solutions. Furthermore, there is a need for policy instruments to digitalise entire value chains. Open APIs and good standards for data sharing, processes and data structures are needed. The business sector also needs public data and research results to be shared and made available in common formats. In addition, the industry trade groups must take greater responsibility for facilitating collaboration on the digitalisation of value chains and data sharing.

Personal data is an important resource, and using it correctly can benefit both individuals and society at large. At the same time, privacy is a human right. It is important that the use of personal data takes place within the framework of legislation and what is ethically justifiable.

We must leverage the GDPR’s scope of action so that it does not unnecessarily inhibit innovation, business development and streamlining of the public sector. The Norwegian Data Protection Authority’s regulatory sandbox is an important tool designed to stimulate privacy-friendly innovation and digitalisation. The Norwegian Data Protection Authority must also provide good guidance beyond the sandbox.

The Norwegian Data Protection Authority is responsible for providing national guidance on privacy protection, and the Norwegian Digitalisation Agency provides general guidance on the sharing and use of data in public administration, as well as to private actors seeking to use data for new purposes. The demand for guidance on the use of personal data is high, and neither the Norwegian Digitalisation Agency nor the Norwegian Data Protection Authority currently have the sufficient capacity to meet this demand. The Government will consider schemes that contribute to more targeted and coordinated guidance.

The Government will

• Propose a new data sharing act based on Norwegian Official Report (NOU) 2024: 14 Med lov skal data deles Ny lovgivning om viderebruk av offentlige data [Data sharing pursuant to law: New Act relating to the sharing of public data]
• Establish a national prioritisation council for data sharing
• Coordinate and strengthen guidance on sharing and use of data, and the work on order in one’s own house
• Prioritise the work of making available national datasets that are important to the public sector and society
• Facilitate cross-sectoral collaboration on standards and formats for data exchange for the digitalisation of entire value chains
• Leverage the opportunities presented by the EU’s common European data spaces (European Data Spaces)

4.2 Harness the opportunities of AI

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Goals

Towards 2030, the Government will establish a national infrastructure for artificial intelligence (AI), placing Norway at the vanguard of ethical and safe AI use. The business sector shall have favourable framework conditions for developing and using AI. The public sector shall utilise AI to develop better services and solve tasks more efficiently.

Status

AI is a ground-breaking technology that has the potential to solve major societal challenges, increase productivity and improve the welfare state. The use of AI can also make important contributions to the green transition. AI can be a game changer for many industries, and the targeted use of this technology can give us a major advantage in sectors including health, energy, aquaculture and other maritime industries.

At the same time, the use of AI raises a number of ethical questions. Using AI to anticipate needs and adapt public services to individual users can challenge privacy. If data and algorithms contain biases, there may also be a risk of discrimination. Additionally, there is a risk that the development and use of AI could violate human rights and undermine human autonomy. Furthermore, bad faith actors can use the technology to challenge our democracy through disinformation and attacks on important national infrastructure.

The 2020 National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence established seven ethical principles for responsible and trustworthy AI. 111 These principles still apply, and form the basis for the Norwegian Digitalisation Agency’s guidance on AI. 112

The Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise’s Skills Barometer for 2023 113 shows that one in five member enterprises of the Confederation have adopted AI tools. Nearly half of the member enterprises have made no use of AI, one important reason being a lack of skills.

Developing and adopting AI requires good communication infrastructure, quality data and access to sufficient computing power. Several industries are working on structures for sharing industry data in value chains. These efforts should be intensified.

The need for supercomputers and associated high-performance computing infrastructure is growing rapidly in connection with the development of AI and is being met through the use of both national and international high-performance computing resources. Not only large enterprises but also start-ups and SMEs need access to high-performance computing resources.

AI can make working life more efficient, interesting and safer. With fewer people available to perform the work, new technology can help maintain and increase productivity and efficiency.

The introduction and use of AI must be in accordance with the rules governing the labour market. Incorporating AI into the labour market can lead to a need for major restructuring. Many jobs will be lost and new ones will be created. This can lead to a need for employees to enrol in continuing education to acquire new skills. Good collaboration between the social partners is the key to succeeding with the necessary changes.

The aim is to achieve a good balance between the use of digital and analogue teaching aids in schools. AI tools can contribute to more personalised learning and offer suitable aids to pupils and students with disabilities or other challenges. At the same time, the use of such tools raises questions regarding ethics, privacy, cheating and plagiarism. The Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training will strengthen the knowledge base and create guidelines for the use of AI so that school owners have sound advice to follow.

In the healthcare sector, AI can contribute to faster and more precise diagnostics, better decision-making support for personnel, simplified logistics and automation of administrative tasks. In addition, it can improve citizens’ monitoring of their own health. 114 Using AI to analyse radiological and other types of imagery can, among other things, reduce the workload for personnel, reduce the radiation doses to which patients are exposed and shorten the time required for examinations. The use of AI can also help streamline writing and structuring tasks, logistics and resource allocation. AI and other labour-saving technologies will help to maintain and improve the quality of healthcare in the years to come and are already reducing wait times in places where they are in use today.

The healthcare sector is by far the area of the public sector 115 with the most AI projects. Many of these are research projects. The Health Research Act has largely remained unchanged since it entered into force in 2009 despite major medical, technological and organisational changes. The Health Research Act and other relevant legislation will be reviewed to assess changes that can ensure that the regulatory framework is better adapted to current needs.

The potential applications of AI in the transport sector are substantial, with the capacity to impact a wide range of important areas for achieving a sustainable, efficient, and safe transportation system. For example, AI is important for the development of more automated vehicles. In road traffic, AI can be used to analyse traffic data and predict traffic flows and driving patterns, which in turn can help optimise traffic flow and contribute to emissions reductions in both passenger and freight transport. In rail and public transport, historical and real-time data can be leveraged to improve travel planning for both operators and travellers.

Charting the course towards 2030

Norwegian enterprises should harness the power of AI to realise the potential for improving efficiency, quality and innovation. In the public sector, there is great potential to use AI to develop new working methods and better and more adapted services for citizens. The Government wants 80 per cent of government agencies to have adopted AI in 2025, and 100 per cent by 2030.

The Norwegian Board of Technology has presented a report 116 in which it recommends several measures for the safe and appropriate use and development of AI in Norway. There is a need to establish a national infrastructure for AI that includes access to computing power and language models that are adapted to Norwegian and Sámi languages and Norwegian social conditions.

Supercomputers constitute a necessary infrastructure for the development of Norwegian AI. Immense computing power is required to train foundational models that the business or public sector can then further develop to create and use AI tools for more efficient services and production.

The state-owned limited company Sigma2 AS is responsible for investing in and operating our largest national supercomputers. They do so in collaboration with the Research Council of Norway and universities in Bergen, Oslo, Tromsø and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. In addition, Norway has access to supercomputers through the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (Euro-HPC). In order to establish and train national models in the future, we need more specialised computing power in the form of supercomputers with graphics processors. On behalf of the Ministry of Education and Research, the Research Council of Norway has assessed the national need for this type of computing power and concluded that the need for computing power is vastly outpacing the supply. Therefore, the Government has commissioned the Research Council of Norway to investigate how much computing power Norway will need in the coming years, both that which must be established nationally and that which Norwegian enterprises can access through European cooperation.

Quantum computing technology offers new opportunities but also poses challenges for national and cyber security. The US Department of Homeland Security estimates that the first quantum computers will be able to crack current encryption technology in 2030. The potential of quantum technology has led several countries to establish national strategies for such technology. Therefore, the Government wants Norway to invest in R&D in this field.

The Norwegian public sector has vast amounts of data and text that can be useful for training Norwegian language models. Language models, and services based on these models, reflect the material they are trained on. To obtain models that work in the Norwegian language variants of Bokmål and Nynorsk, as well as the Sámi languages and Norwegian dialects, the models need to be trained on vast amounts of high-quality data. The models must also be adapted to Norwegian social conditions. Therefore, we need data from different domains reflecting the breadth of knowledge and experience in Norwegian society. It is necessary to investigate how these models can be used in a manner that safeguards security and privacy, and whether there are important datasets that are currently difficult to access that can be released for training purposes.

Since 2010, the National Library of Norway has been tasked with developing and offering basic resources for language technology in Norwegian via Språkbanken (the Norwegian Language Bank). The Sámi language technology centre Divvun works with Sámi language resources in collaboration with the Sámi Parliament of Norway. These resources will be used to ensure that people in Norway have access to high-quality AI tools based on Norwegian and Sámi languages and Norwegian social conditions.

It is important that the rights of creators of intellectual property and other protected works are respected and that general awareness of such rights is raised. This applies, for example, when training language models. Copyright law restricts the types of material that can be used to train such models. The implementation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) will help clarify what constitutes lawful use of works in the training of language models.

Legislation and court rulings are unique to each country. The Norwegian judicial information site Lovdata will therefore be key to a number of Norwegian AI applications, not least in the public sector. AI based on Lovdata can be important for law enforcement and for decision-making support when issuing individual decisions.

If we are to realise the potential of AI, it is important that both the public and business sectors dare to test and adopt AI quickly. This requires access to relevant data, the right skills, leadership and a willingness to take risks. Good knowledge of the legislation governing the use of AI is also important. Regulatory sandboxes, such as the Norwegian Data Protection Authority’s sandbox for privacy-friendly innovation and digitalisation, and the digital innovation hubs Nemonoor and Oceanopolis, enable experimentation with new AI solutions.

The Government is increasing grants for AI research by NOK 200 million each year for the next five years. 117 These funds are in addition to the approximately NOK 850 million allocated to research on AI and robotics through the Research Council of Norway. Such an investment is important because it helps to put Norway in a position to play a role in AI. The research must be connected to practical development work to ensure it impacts various areas of application.

The health and care services sector has a great deal of information that can be useful for developing AI, such as registry data, medical imagery and patient records. It must become easier for relevant actors to access health data to use it with AI. Improved and easier access to health data is important for the further development of our common health service, and for research and business development, but national security interests must be protected. 118

The principles for ethical and responsible AI may appear general, and it can be difficult for individual enterprises to apply them in practice in their own projects. The Norwegian Digitalisation Agency has prepared a guide for the ethical and responsible use of AI. The Agency’s guidance efforts will be further developed and strengthened in the future. The Government will set a requirement in the Digitalisation Circular for all government agencies to adhere to principles for ethical and responsible AI when adopting AI solutions.

In 2024, the EU adopted a regulation on AI (the AI Act). The Act is EEA-relevant. It is first and foremost a product liability act designed to ensure that products and systems utilising AI are safe to use. The AI Act classifies AI systems according to the risk they pose to society and individuals. Most AI systems in use today are not regulated by the AI Act, but must nevertheless be in accordance with other legislation. The Act requires Member States to have administrative and supervisory structures in place to enforce the Act. Although the majority of AI systems in use today are not high-risk according to the Act, several future systems may be classified as high-risk AI. Thus, the Act will provide the main framework for the future development of AI in Norway. This means that anyone seeking to develop and utilise AI will need comprehensive guidance.

The Government will work to ensure that the AI Act is incorporated into the EEA Agreement as quickly as possible. In the national implementation of the Act, we will prioritise establishing a national supervisory and administrative structure.

We must also continuously assess whether changes are needed in the sectoral legislation as AI becomes more widespread in society.

Norway will take an active role in important international efforts on the ethical and responsible development and use of AI. Norway works with the EU, the Nordic Council of Ministers, the UN, the OECD and the Council of Europe to ensure that our values influence international developments in this important area.

The Government will

• Ensure that 80 per cent of government agencies have adopted AI in 2025, and 100 per cent by 2030
• Work to further develop a national infrastructure for AI that will provide access to foundational models based on Norwegian and Sámi languages and social conditions
• Investigate the need for high-performance computing based on known needs in the research sector, public and business sectors
• Implement the AI Act into Norwegian law
• Establish a national supervisory and administrative structure for AI
• Implement changes to sectoral legislation due to the widespread adoption of AI in society
• Investigate how to use data and text from government agencies for ethical and safe training of national language models
• Clarify what constitutes the lawful use of copyright and other protected works in text and data mining processes
• Investigate whether the data basis in Lovdata can be made available, including for the training of language models
• Strengthen the guidance work for the responsible development and use of AI, including through regulatory sandboxes
• Ensure responsible development and use of AI in the public sector
• Contribute to better and easier access to health data and the use of AI for the further development of our common health service, research and business development
• Facilitate innovation based on AI in the business sector through the business-oriented policy instrument system
• Ensure that Norway takes an active role internationally to influence the development of legislation in the field of AI especially in terms of the ethical and safe use of AI
• Establish research centres for the development and use of AI in society
• Strengthen quantum technology research

4.3 Accelerating the green and digital transitions

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Goals

In the lead-up to 2030, the Government will facilitate the green and digital transitions of the business sector.

Status

The green transition is the greatest challenge of our time. The global climate, pollution and environmental crises must be addressed with changes in all parts of society. The consumption of resources exceeds global capacity. Continued economic development presupposes that resource consumption is kept within the planet’s tolerance levels. Europe is in the process of transitioning to a more circular economy with lower resource consumption and increased sustainability in all parts of the economy. This transition requires extensive digitalisation.

Norway’s climate goals for 2030 under the Paris Agreement is to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 per cent compared to 1990 levels. This is enshrined in the Climate Change Act. Climate policy shall be regularly presented in climate reports to the Storting, and presented annually at the same time as the National Budget in the climate status and plan (green book). 119

In 2022, the states parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity agreed on a new global framework for nature. The framework sets concrete global goals to protect nature, achieve sustainable management and combat the causes of degradation and destruction of ecosystems. To follow up on the new framework, the Government will present an action plan for nature to the Storting in 2024, which will include Norway’s contribution to the global nature goals.

AI, and the training and use of large generative models, consume a lot of energy. It is possible to make such models more sustainable and climate-friendly, for example by designing more compact and energy-efficient architectures, using data centres powered by renewable energy, and not making the models larger than necessary for their purpose. The Government will emphasise the development and use of the most climate-friendly AI possible, and support research into climate-friendly AI models through the Research Council of Norway.

Digitalisation can contribute to the green transition. In order to transition to a more circular economy involving more resource-efficient and sustainable production and consumption patterns, we need to accelerate both the green and digital 120 transitions. In this context, investing in research, development and innovation in the business and public sectors, as well as society as a whole is key.

However, it is a dilemma that IT equipment, data centres and digital networks already account for around ten per cent of global energy consumption, and that the production of energy is the largest source of emissions, globally. Energy consumption for information and communication technology is growing eight times faster than global energy production. 121 The widespread use of technology and digital services and the frequent replacement of equipment reinforce this trend.

The generation of electrical and electronic waste (EE waste) is a challenge for Norway. Since 2016, Norway has unfortunately ranked as the leading OECD country in terms of EE waste generation per capita. Although a return scheme for electrical and electronic (EE) products has been established, Norway remains one of the Nordic countries that generate the most EE waste per capita while recycling too little. 122

Charting the course towards 2030

The EU’s February 2020 digitalisation strategy highlights the need for the digital and green transitions to mutually reinforce each other. One of the most important ways to promote both transitions is to move to a circular economy. Digitalisation and the use of new technology, with better utilisation of data, are key to achieving the goal of a climate-neutral Europe by 2050. The EU will create a separate data space 123 for the European Green Deal (see Figure 4.1.). This data space will harness the potential of data that supports the goals of EU climate policy. This encompasses the shift to a circular economy, achieving net-zero emissions, conserving biodiversity, curbing deforestation, and tracking the progress of implemented measures.

Figure 4.1 The green and digital transitions as part of the same transformation 124

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The transition to a circular economy is highly prioritised, and in 2024, the Government presented an action plan for a circular economy. 125 As stated in the action plan, the European regulatory framework is undergoing an extensive period of reform to transition to a circular economy as a means of achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal. A strengthened product framework is one of the most important measures in this regard. The framework contains two key and complementary measures.

One is the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation . With few exceptions, all products in the internal market must fulfil new and stricter requirements for sustainable characteristics that make the products best suited to a circular economy. For example, the new proposal for a regulation on batteries sets extensive requirements for documentation of, among other things, production conditions, quality, utilisation properties and waste management that must accompany the battery in the form of a Digital Product Passport .

The second key measure is a value chain-based approach to a circular economy in seven main product categories. The overarching goal is to reduce the overall pressure on the natural resource base. In order to be able to implement a new regulatory framework in this area, the Government has submitted a proposal for a Sustainable Products Act to the Storting. 126 In addition, Norway will actively participate in the further development of EEA-relevant joint European solutions for regulation and control.

Digitalisation enables a more sustainable society. In collaboration with the Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Governance, the Norwegian Communications Authority is conducting a comprehensive analysis of how digital network infrastructure impacts climate and nature. The analysis, which is due in early 2025, will include the current status and expected developments towards 2030 and 2050 and could form the basis for an annual sustainability index. The analysis and an annual index will provide a common, knowledge-based reference for goals and possible measures, policy instruments and industry agreements to reduce the footprint of digital network infrastructure and improve sustainability in other sectors.

The public sector procures products and services worth approximately NOK 740 billion a year 127 An investigation by the National Audit Office of Norway 128 has revealed that the public sector does not make sufficient use of its purchasing power to minimise environmental impact and promote innovation and climate-friendly solutions. Green and innovative procurement will be adopted as a strategic tool to facilitate the green transition of the business sector. Climate and the environment shall be weighted at least 30 per cent in public procurement processes.

Through the roadmap for a green industrial boost, 129 the Government will aid the Norwegian business sector’s transition to a low-emission society, create attractive jobs for the future, increase exports from the mainland and reduce the vulnerability of key supply chains for the green transition. Norway and the EU have established a Green Alliance. 130 One result of this alliance is an industrial partnership on sustainable value chains for batteries and land-based raw materials that was signed on 21 March 2024.

Data on nature, climate and the cultural environment is the cornerstone of knowledge-based and comprehensive land-use management. The digital transition includes improving access to and utilisation of such data. Among other things, this will help us achieve the goals of preventing incidents related to extreme weather events, better land-use planning and rehabilitation of water and wastewater solutions. Strengthened public-private collaboration on the sharing of relevant data will be important in this regard.

The Government will

• Ensure that Norway participates in the development of EEA-relevant common European solutions for regulation and control for the transition to a circular economy
• Increase the use of green and innovative procurement where digital solutions contribute to sustainable products and services
• Follow up on measures in the Roadmap for the green industrial initiative
• Strengthen public-private collaboration on sharing and making available data related to climate and the environment
• Develop a strategy for the green and digital transition in Norway

4.4 Promote an adaptable and innovative business sector

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Goals

In the run-up to 2030, the Government will facilitate the strengthening of the business sector’s competitiveness through the innovative use of data and digitalisation. The conditions for start-up enterprises shall be favourable. We shall ensure that digitalisation and the use of data reinforce our advantages in key industries, such as health, energy, aquaculture and other maritime industries.

We shall prioritise lifelong learning offerings in areas that are necessary for the future business sector.

Status

Productivity in Norway is high, but productivity growth has declined over time. 131 Harnessing the potential of innovation and digitalisation is crucial to realising opportunities for increased productivity and value creation, developing new business opportunities and gaining access to new markets. Access to relevant skills and uncertainty regarding future economic benefits are examples of the challenges the business sector is facing.

The Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills has noted that there will be a significant need for education and skills related to ICT and digitalisation in the future. 132 This is also supported by surveys from interest organisations such as Abelia and the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise.

Report to the Storting No. 14 (2022-2023) Outlook on the skills needs in Norway highlights the labour market’s skills needs in the short and long term. Necessary skills for a highly productive and competitive business sector is one of the Government’s priority areas for education and skills policy going forward. The Government wants to ensure that the education authorities maintain a good and continuous dialogue with the business sector regarding the need for ICT skills at both the national and regional levels.

Some of the Government’s policy instruments for skills development are described in section 3.5 of the strategy. In the work on developing a skills policy, the Government is collaborating extensively with the social partners, including via the Skills Policy Council, the Committee on Future Skills Needs and the Committee on Skills Reform in the Labour Market (Skills Reform Committee). The report Outlook on the skills needs in Norway notes that employees in SMEs are less involved in skills development measures than employees in larger enterprises. The Norwegian business sector is characterised by many SMEs, which means that Norway has different challenges and opportunities than many other countries. The Skills Reform Committee will examine opportunities and policy instruments for learning in working life in Norway, based on the prevailing conditions in the Norwegian business sector.

In May 2022, the Expert Group on Industrial Data Sharing submitted its report on data sharing between Norwegian industry actors. 133 The Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Governance has commissioned Digital Norway to better facilitate the sharing of industrial data.

Norway participates in the EU’s Digital Europe (DIGITAL) programme 2021-2027 134 The DIGITAL programme represents a joint effort to increase the competitiveness of European enterprises, ensure better and more efficient solutions for the public sector, provide the basis for a green transition and ensure Europe’s digital security and sovereignty.

One of the measures in the DIGITAL programme is the establishment of the European Digital Innovation Hubs Network (EDIHs). The Government considers this to be a key initiative for the future competitiveness of Norwegian enterprises and has therefore set aside funds to co-finance the two Norwegian innovation hubs. The national co-financing triggers a corresponding amount from the DIGITAL programme. Thus, the opportunities offered by the programme are leveraged to generate far greater activity than would have been possible without Norway’s participation.

AI and machine learning can help increase productivity in the business sector by automating working methods and processes that were previously regarded as “knowledge work”. 135 According to figures from Statistics Norway’s survey ICT usage in enterprises (2023), access to skills is the most significant barrier to the use of AI in the business sector. 136 Figures from Economics Norway in report 23/2023 137 support this finding, showing that only a quarter of Norwegian enterprises used AI in 2023 and just under half of these had a strategic approach to its use.

The Government has presented a strategy to encourage the business sector to invest more in R&D. 138 The business sector is key to the success of the digital and green transitions. It is in the business sector, in close collaboration with the research environments, that the new sustainable and value-creating solutions will be developed and adopted nationwide. More R&D in the business sector can result in new technology and new solutions. In addition, it promotes society’s ability to adopt and benefit from new technology. There is considerable potential in utilising and making public data available for both R&D and business development purposes. This is also important in the EU, where health data and the European Health Data Space are good examples of how public data can be made available for use in the business sector.

Deep technologies (deep tech) are technologies such as AI, autonomous systems, robotics and quantum systems. They represent opportunities for innovation for both society and the business sector. A report prepared by Economics Norway for the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) and others 139 emphasises that rapid implementation of advanced technology, including AI, can result in a significant increase in business value creation.

The technology industry has called for a separate business-oriented plan for actors working with deep tech, i.e., technologies that are based on scientific breakthroughs and groundbreaking innovations. The technology-based business sector consists of enterprises that utilise advanced technology in the production, distribution or organisation of their own business or business model. These are enterprises that stand to achieve significant gains through a successful transformation based on leveraging new and enabling technologies, but they also risk becoming competitively vulnerable if they fail to successfully navigate the technological shift.

Charting the course towards 2030

The Norwegian business sector has significant potential for business development through the use of digitalisation and technology. 140 Strong industries such as healthcare, energy, aquaculture and other maritime industries possess significant amounts of data that are of a high enough quality to form the basis for major new export opportunities. This presupposes that enterprises have the capacity and ability to utilise the potential. However, many enterprises, particularly in the SME segment, have limited resources to do so.

The business sector has clearly expressed the importance of recruiting skilled labour and specialists, including those from outside the EEA, to meet the need for ICT skills. The skilled worker quota was introduced in 2002 and determines the number of work permits that can be granted each year following a simplified procedure. It ensures that employers can quickly and easily recruit necessary expertise from countries outside the EEA. The need to adjust the quota is continuously assessed.

The enabling and deep technologies represent a technological shift that creates many opportunities for both society and the business sector. Through a roadmap, the Government is seeking to help the business sector better utilise these opportunities. 141 The roadmap will provide a good understanding of what the industry needs in terms of framework conditions and skills in order to utilise advanced technology.

Currently, data constitutes an increasingly large share of value creation across most Norwegian industries and sectors. However, the business sector must improve its ability to leverage data and enhance data sharing between actors. 142 The Government’s ambition is to enhance data sharing both within the business sector and between the public and private sectors. Improved leveraging of data is crucial for Norway to succeed in the transition to a more sustainable society, a highly productive industry and a greener economy.

It is first and foremost the responsibility of enterprises to leverage the opportunities and manage the challenges arising from technological development and the green transition. However, the scale of the effort required is such that the central government must also become more involved through an active and ambitious industrial and business policy in collaboration with enterprises. 143

The Government wants to provide the business sector, entrepreneurs and start-ups with better framework conditions and conditions for growth. This involves taking measures to simplify and identify good digital solutions between enterprises and the public sector. The Government will present the first white paper on entrepreneurs and start-ups. The report will present the Government’s overall entrepreneurial policy.

To realise the green industrial initiative, Norwegian industrial enterprises must adopt new technology and data. In the Roadmap for the green industrial initiative , which the Government launched in 2022, one of the measures is to facilitate greater value creation with data by stimulating increased sharing and use of data in and across sectors, industries and trades.

Although digitalisation is widespread among Norwegian enterprises, the level of investment in digitalisation is insufficient compared to other countries. 144 In Innovation Norway’s experience, start-ups with digital business models find it difficult to raise private capital because they are often considered to have low collateral security. 145 To stimulate digital innovation in the business sector, especially for start-ups, it should be considered whether loan and grant schemes can increasingly be geared towards risk mitigation.

The business-oriented policy instrument system consists of institutions and schemes that directly and indirectly stimulate increased value creation in the business sector through capital, research, infrastructure and skills measures. Work is underway to strengthen the policy instrument system through Virkemiddelapparatet 2.0 [Policy Instrument System 2.0]. The purpose of this work is to make the policy instrument system more accessible, simpler and more user-friendly. Public authorities facilitate both research and innovation through grants, loans, guarantees, advice and skills measures that are managed by the overall national and regional policy instrument system.

Norwegian actors must be able to make the best possible use of the link between national and international instruments. This applies both to the value chain from basic knowledge to commercial activities within each individual field and to interfaces between national initiatives and the international initiatives in which Norway participates. This requires sufficient information, active and broad mobilisation and targeted coordination at the ministry and agency level.

Tripartite industry programmes for skills development 146 develop short and flexible continuing education courses that people can take alongside their jobs. Industry programmes exist in five industries, and it is the social partners who identify the type of skills needed by the industries. In 2023, a separate industry programme for information security and ICT was established to ensure that employees in the industry have up-to-date knowledge. The industry programme for skills development will be further developed.

Large sums are allocated annually to research, development and piloting related to ICT and digitalisation at both the national and European levels. For investments to pay off, it is important that the results can lead to testing, implementation and scaling. This requires sufficient infrastructure and capacity, both nationally and through international cooperation.

The EU’s Digital Decade policy programme 2030 147 establishes concrete goals for a successful digital transformation. Among other things, three out of four enterprises are to utilise cloud services, big data and AI by 2030. More than 90 per cent of SMEs are to adopt foundational digital technologies, and the number of unicorn companies in the EU (start-ups with a valuation of USD 1 billion or more) will be doubled.

In the strategy for Norwegian participation in DIGITAL 148 , the Government wants the programme to be a tool for implementing the digital transition we are currently facing. Norway must accomplish this by utilising opportunities for financial support, access to knowledge, professional networks and access to capacity and infrastructure. We must utilise the opportunities for synergies between the EU’s digital policy and developments in Norway to digitally transform enterprises, utilise enabling technologies and increase business development.

The fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) involves the increased digitalisation of industrial systems. Advanced algorithms, machine learning and AI are used to increase productivity, raise quality and improve the adaptability of industrial systems. Industry 5.0 advances this concept by incorporating climate and environmental considerations into industrial automation and including employees’ skills and work situations as prerequisites for realising the benefits of advanced digital technologies.

Through business networks, SMEs can establish targeted, commercial and market-oriented collaborations to strengthen their innovative capacity and competitiveness. The goal is to achieve growth and value creation in the participating enterprises through the realisation of new market opportunities. The work of the business networks should be structured in such a manner that they contribute to increased innovation with the use of ICT in SMEs.

The Government will

• Fulfil the business sector’s need for digital competence through stronger collaboration between relevant educational institutions, the business sector, policy instrument actors and the social partners
• Present a roadmap for the technology-based business sector
• Present a white paper on entrepreneurs and start-ups
• Consider whether loan and grant schemes can be geared more towards risk mitigation to stimulate digital innovation in the business sector, especially for start-ups
• Further develop tripartite industry programmes for skills development
• Facilitate increased participation by the business sector in EU programmes for research, innovation, development and implementation related to ICT
• Continue co-funding for the Digital Innovation Hubs Network (EDIH) under the DIGITAL programme
• Assess whether the policy instruments are appropriately structured to support the digital transition of the business sector
• Hold the business sector’s industry trade groups accountable to ensure that they better facilitate collaboration on the digitalisation of value chains and data sharing

4.5 Maintaining trust, strengthening inclusion, and safeguarding considerations for children and young people

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Goals

Towards 2030, the Government will ensure that everyone can take part in digitalisation. We will strengthen our efforts to increase the digital competence of those groups experiencing digital barriers and digital exclusion. We shall make sure that everyone is offered an electronic identity. We shall strengthen the population’s resilience to digital disinformation. Children and young people shall be ensured a safe digital upbringing. We shall ensure a good digital-analogue balance in kindergartens, schools and in the leisure time of children and young people.

4.5.1 Maintaining a strong and inclusive democracy with a high level of trust

Status

In Norway, citizens have a high level of trust in one another, the authorities and democracy. This high level of trust enables simple, fast and smooth processes and minimises conflict. It can also be an advantage in the digitalisation of society and the public sector. For public trust to remain high, digital solutions must be accessible, user-friendly and of high quality.

The highest possible level of trust is not an end in itself, and healthy scepticism is beneficial for any democracy. For example, it is important to build critical media literacy and develop a critical attitude toward information at a time when it can be more difficult to distinguish between true and false information.

Openness in the public administration is an important means of building citizens’ trust. Norway is one of 70 member countries in the Open Government Partnership (OGP). The purpose of the partnership is to create a more open, well-functioning and user-friendly public administration. 149

The Freedom of Expression Commission’s report 150 describes how misinformation and disinformation can pose a threat to democracy and trust in society, and how the free formation of opinion requires access to reliable information. It is easier than ever to spread misleading or false information to a larger audience.

The amount of information from different sources places even greater demands on the public’s ability to critically assess whether they believe and trust the information they receive online. If people can no longer distinguish between fact and fiction, this poses a serious threat to freedom of expression. The Freedom of Expression Commission concluded that Norway is relatively well-equipped to handle these challenges. The political culture is not particularly polarised, we have a robust and trusted media system, and the population’s critical understanding of the media is at a high level. However, the extent of disinformation that has been uncovered in several countries and the rapid technological developments give cause for concern and increased vigilance.

Internationally, there have been several examples of digital influence campaigns in connection with elections. The Government has established an inter-ministerial working group to strengthen resilience against unwanted actions in Norwegian elections. Ahead of each election, the working group has presented its action plans for how society can build resilience against unwanted influence in connection with elections. As part of this effort, an assessment is made to determine whether there are attempts at unwanted foreign influence related to the election. To date, the assessments have not revealed any signs that foreign actors have attempted to influence Norwegian elections. 151 The Norwegian National Election Studies 152 provide a basis for understanding how resilience to disinformation and unwanted influence during elections and election campaigns can be strengthened.

Spreading disinformation and influencing elections on social media can pose a threat to public discourse and trust in society. The Digital Services Act (DSA) 153 imposes requirements on major social media platforms to implement measures that limit the risk of election influence and the spread of disinformation and harmful content aimed at children. These measures are to be weighed against freedom of expression.

Charting the course towards 2030

Digitalisation in Norway must take place within a secure framework to preserve trust in our democracy.

The Government wants to ensure that people are aware when content has been generated by AI. The AI Act includes rules on the labelling of AI-generated content. The Act stipulates that if AI is used to generate content that can be perceived as being an existing person, place or event, this must be clearly labelled.

The Freedom of Expression Commission notes that social media algorithms amplify the spread of engaging content, which will often be favourable to those seeking to disseminate false information. It is expected that AI will accelerate this development. The volume of information also places greater demands on the public’s ability to critically assess the information they receive online.

As part of the follow-up to the Freedom of Expression Commission, the Government will present a strategy to strengthen resilience against disinformation in the spring of 2025. 154 Among other things, the strategy will address how we can safeguard and strengthen the editor-controlled media’s important social mission, how we can enhance the population’s critical understanding of the media, how we can ensure vigorous follow-up of the big tech companies and their influence on Norwegian discourse, and how we can obtain and share knowledge about disinformation and influence in Norway.

The Government has started work on a national strategy for an open and informed public discourse. 155 The strategy will account for the Government’s efforts to fulfil the infrastructure requirement , including how to facilitate a well-functioning space for expression, a good culture of expression, and emergency preparedness for expression among citizens. The work will be based on the Freedom of Expression Commission’s report and the subsequent extensive public consultation.

Knowledge of democracy and citizenship and critical media literacy are particularly important for children and young people. Children are less able to evaluate content and are more likely to consume media that lacks editorial oversight. The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities is working on initiatives aimed at young people aged 16-19. In cooperation with the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities, the Government will contribute to enhancing knowledge about democracy and citizenship among young people.

The Government has established a fast-working expert group tasked with assessing the consequences of AI for secure and democratic elections. 156 The expert group will gather experiences from the 2024 elections, with a particular focus on how AI changes the existing challenges and will provide a knowledge status and present concrete proposals to the Government on possible measures that can be implemented before the 2025 parliamentary elections.

New technology, including AI, also provides new opportunities. In the coming years, it will be important to learn more about how the new technology can be used to strengthen democracy. For example, it will be important to learn more about whether authorities and politicians can use AI to make better decisions, whether AI can be used in citizen participation, and how it can help citizens receive better-adapted information about elections and democracy, rights, obligations and opportunities.

The Government will

• Develop a strategy to strengthen resilience to disinformation
• Develop a strategy for an open and informed public discourse
• Strengthen young people’s knowledge of democracy and citizenship, in cooperation with the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities
• Work to strengthen resilience against unwanted influence in connection with elections
• Consider recommendations from the expert group assessing the impact of AI on secure and democratic elections
• Increase citizen participation and provide a better basis for political decisions by utilising new technology

4.5.2 Include everyone in a digitalised society

Status

Norway has a digitally mature population. Most are online and have experience using digital services. However, some are unable to use digital services or do not want to use digital services, for various reasons. Based on existing figures, it is estimated that around 20 per cent of the adult population is vulnerable when using public digital services. 157

A lack of digital competence, administrative skills, trust, and confidence are among the individual challenges that create barriers to the use of digital solutions. In addition, factors related to the solutions themselves, such as a lack of universal design, poor user interface, complexity, or a lack of cohesion, can hinder citizens from using them. 158

The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration has investigated which services should be digitalised and how this should be carried out. 159 The report from the investigation notes that public services have different characteristics that may impact how well they are suited to digital solutions. Determining the extent of digitalising public services and deciding what alternatives to provide those who are unable or unwilling to use digital services are dilemmas that necessitate further discussion and policy deliberations.

In June 2023, the Government launched an Action plan for increased inclusion in a digital society . 160 The action plan aims to ensure that all citizens receive equal public services, regardless of background, language skills or age. The action plan primarily targets those groups that experience digital barriers and digital exclusion.

Users must be included to a greater extent in the development of digital services. This also applies to services aimed at children and young people. A collaborative forum for digital inclusion has been established and is managed by the Norwegian Digitalisation Agency. The forum consists of representatives from the public sector, voluntary organisations and the business sector and works to facilitate equal public services, irrespective of digital skills.

AI may pose challenges for equality and non-discrimination, but can also be used to promote inclusion, for example through text reading, speech-to-text and audio description of images, and in programmes that support persons with dyslexia with writing. Good speech-to-text models, such as the National Library of Norway’s NB-Whisper, can be used for subtitling videos. 161 Thereby, persons with disabilities or developmental challenges, or persons who otherwise require assistance with reading or writing, can receive effective assistance. In the future, AI will also be able to assist persons who do not speak Norwegian through written and oral translations from other languages.

Charting the course towards 2030

The public sector is making progress in digital inclusion; however, the efforts are not sufficiently coordinated. Strategies and action plans for inclusion and participation contain measures that cut across sectors and administrative levels. Efforts must be coordinated when implementing such measures.

Services should be developed based on standards for universal design, privacy by design and non-discrimination by design. It is also important to use more inclusive design and clear language in the development of digital services.

Good services with proximity to people are important for the Government. Therefore, we have invited municipalities with service centres or citizen service centres, and municipalities where citizens have to travel far to access user-facing government services, to apply to participate in a pilot for local service centres. The pilot will also include measures where the municipality assists citizens in using digital public services. This involves assistance in navigating and using the digital services provided by e.g., the Norwegian Tax Administration and the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration.

All citizens must be able to use their eID safely and securely to participate in the digital society. Digital exclusion is exacerbated by technological barriers, such as the fact that not everyone has an eID, a lack of digital authorisation solutions and the fact that not all digital solutions are universally designed. The latter makes it difficult or impossible for persons with disabilities to participate in society, even if they possess good digital competence. Digital services must be universally designed in order to be accessible to all. In recent years, the Norwegian Authority for Universal Design of ICT has established a data-driven digital supervisory authority to effectively enforce the legislation. To ensure effective compliance and increased digital participation, the Norwegian Authority for Universal Design of ICT must be equipped to be future-oriented and data-driven.

In December 2022, a Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles was signed in the EU. 162 These digital rights and principles are intended to guide decision-makers, public authorities and enterprises when working with or developing new technology. To ensure that digital development continues in line with our societal values and for the benefit of citizens and enterprises in Norway, the Government will consider whether these or similar rights and principles should form the basis for digitalisation in Norway.

The Government will

• Follow up on the action plan for increased inclusion in a digital society
• Strengthen efforts to increase the digital competence of older adults
• Strengthen the work on quality of use, clear language and universal design in public digital services
• Strengthen citizens’ digital competence through the piloting of local service centres
• Ensure increased user involvement in the development of digital services
• Strengthen the Norwegian Authority for Universal Design of ICT

4.5.3 Ensure a safe digital upbringing for children and young people

Status

Children and young people’s everyday lives are largely characterised by school, leisure and family life, entertainment, play, expression and learning through the use of the internet and digital tools. For children and young people, digital solutions can enhance their ability to express themselves and be heard, communicate with others, learn and explore the world and their individual identity. At the same time, they can challenge children’s personal and consumer protection, mental and physical health, and the right to be protected from harmful content and abuse.

Children and young people are in a special legal position, both because they are generally dependent on caregivers making decisions on their behalf, and because children and young people have a special right to protection. Digitalisation efforts must therefore take into account that children face different challenges than adults on digital platforms. When following up on personal and consumer protection, it is also important to be aware of children’s special legal position (Article 104 of the Constitution of Norway and the Convention on the Rights of the Child), and that they have different needs to adults.

We have little updated knowledge about children and young people’s digital competence. A Consumption Research Norway study 163 has taken a closer look at how a sample of children and young people perceive their own digital competence and the need to develop it. Norway participates in the international comparative study IEA International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS), which assesses pupils’ digital competence. Data collection was completed in 2023, and the final report will be published in 2025.

The digitalised society is reflected in the challenges that today’s children and young people face in their everyday lives, both in the physical and the digital world. The threat actors are not only people they know but also strangers who intend to exploit children and young people.

Together with the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities, the Government has drawn up a strategy for digital competence and infrastructure in kindergartens and schools. 165 The strategy aims to ensure that digitalisation in the sector is responsible, rooted in a sound knowledge base and that it is based on the best interests of children and young people, their rights and the precautionary principle. The strategy contains a number of measures, divided between central and local government, to be implemented towards 2030, including support for the local government sector to manage new technologies, digital tools in education and increased pressure on privacy.

Charting the course towards 2030

The Government is working on a white paper on safe digital upbringing. The report will contribute to a more comprehensive policy in the field and will cover both opportunities and challenges in the digital lives of children and young people. Online, children and young people can express themselves, actively participate in public debate, engage in creative expression and have social networks.

The report will address the risks faced by children and young people, such as exposure to harmful content, children and young people’s digital competence, as well as the role of parents and caregivers in children’s digital lives. It will also cover public services for children and young people online and the business sector’s responsibility for the rights of the child. Furthermore, the report will cover the authorities’ design of a comprehensive, knowledge-based policy for the digital upbringing of children and young people.

The Government has initiated a comprehensive review of children’s consumer protection in digital media. The purpose is to assess cross-sectoral measures to strengthen children’s consumer protection. In its report, the Privacy Commission identified particular challenges to children’s privacy, which will be considered in the work on the white paper on safe digital upbringing.

The Government has appointed a committee to obtain more knowledge about how children and young people’s screen use in kindergarten, school and leisure time affects their health, quality of life, learning and upbringing. Where the committee finds that particular challenges have been adequately documented, it will provide input for policy development and advise on measures. The committee’s final recommendations will be submitted to the Ministry of Education and Research in the autumn of 2024. 166

The Government will

• Present a white paper on safe digital upbringing
• Follow up on the recommendations of the Screen Use Committee
• Take children and young people’s rights into account when designing digital public services
• Consider age limits for social media