AI Takes Place in Difficult Conversations – Helsingborg at the Forefront

In Helsingborg, something is currently happening that has attracted the world’s interest — a groundbreaking pilot where AI helps to create safer, more legally secure conversations and less stressful workdays for social workers within the social services and labor market administration. The goal is that after the ongoing pilot, the use can be scaled up both in the administrations running the pilot today and in other areas such as healthcare and education.

Blink of an AI

With the project Blink of an AI, the city takes a step towards shaping the future of conversations within the social services and labor market administration. The pilot tests AI for automatic transcription and summarization of conversations with clients. The service is a concrete tool to free up time, reduce stress, and increase legal security in the most sensitive conversations.

– We quickly saw that the potential of the technology was enormous in several areas within the city, says Karolina Ekerlund, who supports the project centrally within the city of Helsingborg. Social workers spend a lot of their working time on administration. We want to see how the technology can help social workers so they can have more client time and a less stressful workday,” continues Karolina Ekerlund.

The Pilot Project is One of the First of Its Kind in Sweden

The pilot project is one of the first of its kind in Sweden. Here, AI’s capacity is tested in real meetings with actual residents, with follow-up research from Lund University. The results are already starting to show.

– The caseworkers are very positive about how they can focus more on the conversation and less on keeping up with notes, says Maria Sjödin, who follows the effects of the pilot. Those who have gotten over the threshold in their use also see great time savings and increased efficiency in their documentation work. They also experience a significant increase in legal security, as they can be sure that everything said in the conversation is included, and they can even go back in the transcription and double-check what was said in the meeting, she continues.

Brave Leaders and Committed Employees

Interest from other municipalities and actors is high. SVT, Dagens Industri, and Sveriges Radio P1 have already reported on the project, and several municipalities are closely following the development.

– We are in a phase where we see that this works, but we are also aware that it requires a completely new way of working. Those involved in the pilot already see clear effects, says Karolina Ekerlund.

But above all, Helsingborg shows that the future is not something that just happens. It is actively shaped every day by brave leaders and committed employees.

– We wouldn’t be here without brave leaders who made this possible, says Maria Sjödin.

Blink of an AI – Brief About the Project

• What? AI pilot for automatic transcription and summarization of conversations in the social services and labor market administration
• Why? Free up time, reduce stress, increase legal security, and improve resident dialogue
• How? 20 users are testing it in real conditions for 6 + 6 months. A legal review has been conducted, and follow-up researchers from Lund University are involved. Funded by Vinnova
• What’s next? The pilot is continuously tested and evaluated, and a possible scale-up is planned for the autumn