In this film Henrik Carlsen, Co-Director of Mistra Geopolitics at SEI, Lena Sellgren at Business Sweden and Fredrik Heintz at Linköping University – experts within the Mistra Geopolitics programme – discuss the geopolitics of emerging technologies, artificial intelligence and the importance of foresight.
Economic, social and political transformations
Current technological advances are expected to bring economic, social and political transformations of an unprecedented scale. Advances in areas such as artificial intelligence, communication technologies, robotics, biotechnology and material science are set to change our future.
“Complexities are constantly increasing, and within Mistra Geopolitics we are combining emerging technologies with the sustainable development agenda. When combining two such broad topics, it is obvious how important foresight capabilities of new innovations and policy decisions become.”
— Henrik Carlsen, Co-Director of Mistra Geopolitics and SEI Senior Research Fellow.
Watch “How can artificial intelligence contribute to Agenda 2030?”
“Artificial intelligence has the potential to work as a political shifter for countries to really leapfrog development and taking significant jumps in technology – and go directly to the solutions for the sustainability challenges we are facing. ”
— Fredrik Heintz, Professor of Computer Science, Linköping University
“We see a lot going on regarding the green transition in Sweden, with the new industrialization expanding in the north of Sweden. Companies are taking advantage of the new technologies and the resources we have.”
— Lena Sellgren, Chief Economist, Business Sweden
Foresight capabilities and emerging technologies
Foresight capabilities and emerging technologies is one of the prioritized research themes in the Mistra Geopolitics programme. One strand of research helps international organizations and states make sense of and use the potential of these technologies to achieve the 2030 Agenda.
Mistra Geopolitics experts
- Henrik Carlsen, Co-Director of Mistra Geopolitics and Senior Research Fellow, SEI
- Lena Sellgren, Chief Economist, Business Sweden
- Fredrik Heintz, Professor of Computer Science, Linköping University
Featured

Henrik Carlsen

Ylva Rylander

Professor Fredrik Heintz

Maria Cole
About the film
This film was produced by the Mistra Geopolitics research programme, led by Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and funded by Mistra, the Swedish foundation for strategic environmental research.
Interviews and script by Ylva Rylander and Maria Cole at SEI and Mistra Geopolitics. Voice-over by Andrea Lindblom at SEI. Film production by Johan Söderlund.