How will AI transform and shape the society of the future? That question was at the center when researchers and industry leaders met at Industry Days 2025 at the Service Research Center (CTF) at Karlstad University.
On November 19–20, Karlstad University became a global hub for knowledge, strategy, and future visions as researchers and industry partners discussed tomorrow’s society during Industry Days 2025 – a two-day event focused on AI for a digital and sustainable future.
Under the theme AI-Enabled Service Transformation: Navigating the Shift, experts gathered to analyze how AI not only changes – but radically accelerates – the development of services across all industries. This transformation impacts sustainability, welfare, and the conditions for tomorrow’s society.
– Industry Days was not an ordinary conference. It was a strategic collaboration between CTF and the University of Cambridge and their Center for Service Alliance, one of the world’s most prestigious universities, which together with CTF invited a number of researchers and companies, says Per Kristensson, Director of CTF.
– The fact that Cambridge chose to organize the event together with Karlstad University clearly shows the international position CTF holds – and the attractiveness of our research. In addition to great discussions, we also visited the Lerin Museum and, in the evening, met Governor Georg Andrén at the residence, adds Per Kristensson.
Industry Days 2025 attracted a mix of international researchers and global companies – a combination few Nordic universities can match. From academia, researchers from Cambridge, Linköping University, and of course CTF participated. Among the industry partners were well-known international companies such as AB Volvo, AstraZeneca, HCLTech, Aixtron, and Husqvarna.
– Part of our mission is to understand the challenges companies face regarding their offerings and how AI can help them create value for their customers, explains Prof. Mohamed Zaki, Director of the Center for Service Alliance (CSA) at the University of Cambridge. We prefer to have a dialogue with companies because then we can better understand their challenges – test new ideas, discuss the results, and then find solutions that work. This is the value of the collaboration within Industry Days.
The event left a clear mark of Karlstad University’s growing role as an international partner in developing next-generation digital and sustainable services.
– When world-leading actors meet in Karlstad, it becomes clear: we are not standing on the sidelines of development – we are helping to drive it, says Per Kristensson. Industry Days 2025 is just the beginning. The discussions during these two days will shape new research projects, new collaborative constellations, and also contribute to understanding how AI can be a driving force for sustainable innovation and strengthened competitiveness in the future.
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Film and editing: Martin Lindkvist, Karlstad University
