A brief article from an interview I gave for Finnish news outlets published this week highlights the responsible use of AI, particularly to support immigrant services by municipalities.
The journalist Oksana Chelysheva informed me that her article received quite some critical comments on Facebook, most of which I found simply reflected a lack of awareness, empathy or outright discriminatory attitudes towards immigrants, which is very much part of the problem that Finnish society must address with care.
As a Professor of Practice at Aalto University I previously lead an interdisciplinary team on a collaborative research project, Trust-M, in partnership with University of Helsinki, Tampere University, and the City of Espoo to explore the sociotechnical challenges of designing inclusive digital services for immigrants. While I’m no longer leading the project but the research continues, the ever increasing employment challenges and discrimination towards migrants, particularly immigrant mothers living in Finland, remains very troubling.
Technology can hardly tackle such deeper societal conditions, but as public intellectuals we have a responsibility to engage in meaningful advocacy for vulnerable communities, constructively criticize shortsighted government policies, and engage in the complex politics of our research. Of course as immigrants we ourselves face these issues in different ways, but at least some of us have the privilege of a safe public platform to talk about it more freely.
Article published in Helsinki News by Oksana Chelysheva on February 8, 2026. https://www.helsinginuutiset.fi/paikalliset/9154347
English translation below:
Nitin Sawhney was involved in developing services for immigrants in Espoo using artificial intelligence
Nitin Sawhney is a technology expert who lived in the United States for 30 years. Then he began to worry about the politics and atmosphere in the United States.
– I was worried that trust in society was weakening and people were more hostile than before.
Sawhney became interested in the Nordic countries. Nordic equality, public healthcare, and climate policy seemed good to him.
He decided to accept a five-year job at Aalto University. After five years, he became an associate professor at the University of the Arts Helsinki.
Sawhney is now working on artificial intelligence. It’s a topic that’s been talked about a lot. Sawhney teaches courses specifically on how to use AI responsibly. He studies how AI affects people’s lives.
“As soon as you open your phone, you are using artificial intelligence,” he says.
– What matters is whether you know it and make informed choices.
Services for immigrants
Sawhney’s research group collaborated with, among others, the National Institute for Health and Welfare, Kela, and the City of Espoo.
Sawhney was involved in a project called Trust-M until 2024, which develops digital services for immigrants. The services support, for example, immigrant mothers in Espoo.
The project also examines how laws, regulations and technology affect digital services for immigrants.
– Integration is difficult, says Sawhney.
– Immigrants do not lack skills, but they are facing a completely new system.
The project aims to investigate the difficulties in advising immigrants in Finland. Artificial intelligence can help, for example, with communication.
According to Sawhney, artificial intelligence is also a social system. People and institutions are responsible for its operation.
A conflicted country
Dr. Sawhney has lived in Finland for almost six years now. Before Finland, he lived in India, Iran, and Bahrain. Living in many countries has influenced him.
Sawhney says that his view of Finland is contradictory.
– I came to Finland because of its reputation, but there are also serious problems here. Immigrants are treated worse than before and there is a lot of discrimination. There are economic challenges. Finland also trades arms with Israel.
He adds that no society is perfect. He says that he participates in protests and criticizes government policies.
– But at least there is freedom of speech here and journalists can report things freely, he adds.
Finally, Sawhney states:
– There are many good things in Finland, but also deep problems. I still feel that I want to participate in society here in my new home, the Nordic countries.