🔍 In this episode of Humans of AI, Javier de la Rosa, Head of Language Models at the National Library of Norway, explains how Norway’s long-term digitisation effort laid the groundwork for powerful, locally grounded AI models. He shares how these tools are now used across public services, the challenges of updating legal frameworks for generative AI, and why supporting public-interest institutions is essential for Europe to build AI that reflects its own languages, values, and cultural identity.
📌 HoAI Highlights
⏲️[00:00] Intro
⏲️[00:30] The Spark
⏲️[02:04] The Impact
⏲️[05:21] The Challenge
⏲️[08:44] The Future
⏲️[12:40] The Takeaway
The Spark
🗣️“Twenty years of digitisation was a leap of faith — but it’s now the foundation that makes Norwegian AI possible.”
The Impact
🗣️“Our models are used everywhere — from hospitals and police work to newsrooms. The impact is huge, and so are the expectations.”
The Challenge
🗣️“LLMs changed the game. Agreements written before generative AI suddenly didn’t fit anymore, and we had to rethink everything with rights holders.”
The Future
🗣️“We want models that protect privacy, run locally, and reflect Norwegian values — and expand into speech and visual AI in a responsible way.”
The Takeaway
🗣️“If restrictions become too heavy, small public institutions can’t contribute — and Europe risks losing its voice in AI.”
📌 About Our Guests
Javier de la Rosa | KB Norway
The National Library of Norway runs NbAiLab, an applied AI programme that develops open language, speech, and image models based on the library’s extensive digitised collections. The lab focuses on improving access to Norwegian cultural heritage through AI-driven tools such as text and handwriting recognition, speech-to-text, and automated metadata enrichment, while openly sharing models and datasets to support the wider research and GLAM community.
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