Research & Art

Key Research Area: Digitalisation and AI

Digital technologies like Artificial Intelligence, robotics and communications are cut through the whole society, from education to medicine and economics.
Aalto X Reality Keynote PiP by Matti Ahlgren
Photo by Matti Ahlgren.

This area represents over one third of the scientific publications and university education in the field of digitalisation and AI in Finland.

This forms the foundation for our spearhead in Finland’s drive towards the technological transformation of many aspects of society – from new consumer services to media, entertainment, education, health care, retail, and several areas of industry.

Research in digitalisation and AI relates to both theory and practice: computational and mathematical sciences, software and hardware technologies, secure communications, digital media, services, and engineering and management across technologies and industrial sectors.

This combination provides an excellent launching pad for interdisciplinary innovations. For instance, digitalisation and social media are topics which may only be profoundly understood via multidisciplinary viewpoints combining arts, business, science and technology.

Focus areas

  • Artificial intelligence
  • Cybersecurity
  • Digital services
  • Telecommunications
  • Power Systems
  • Robotics and Autonomous Systems
  • Acoustics and Audio Technology

Upcoming events

Students sitting in sofas in a light space
Campus, Lectures and seminars, Networking, Students, Workshops

Experiences of Digitalized Healthcare

PhD course and open seminar organized by international consortium of faculty

Latest news in this area

Diagram showing individual and group behaviours, with comparison views of a robotic arm on a checkered floor.
Research & Art Published:

Better AI models by incorporating user feedback into training

New research improves a popular method for fine-tuning AI models by 60% using visualization tools.
A worker operates a tablet while a robotic arm welds metal, emitting sparks in an industrial setting.
Research & Art Published:

Specialised AI models could be Finland's next global export

Specialised, resource-efficient AI models could be the next competitive edge of our country, and a way to stand out among the use of large language models.
Silhouette of a person thinking, overlaid with colourful digital data and graphics on the right side.
Cooperation, Press releases Published:

Finnish AI Region Secures Second Term with Top Marks from EU

Finnish AI Region (FAIR) EDIH has been selected to continue operations for a second term with excellent ratings. European Union continuation funding enables service expansion from the beginning of 2026. Aalto University is one of 10 partners in FAIR.
#65 in the world in business & economics THE World University Rankings 2026 by Subject on a yellow background.
Research & Art Published:

Business & economics and computer science ranked in top 100 globally

The Times Higher Education ranking measures universities with 18 indicators, including international research and citations

Flagships and Centres of Excellence

QTF-hero logo

Quantum Technology Finland – The National Centre of Excellence (external link)

The national Quantum Technology Finland (QTF) Centre of Excellence brings together scientific and technological excellence and cutting-edge research infrastructures to harness quantum phenomena in solid-state-based quantum devices and applications.

Infrastructure

Aalto Factory of the Future videowall

Aalto Factory of the Future

The Aalto Factory of the Future is an infrastructure to support innovation in future industrial automation, industry 4.0 & 5.0 and beyond. It allows test and trials of advanced technologies, such as future wireless communication (5G / Wifi6 and beyond) in industry.

MAGICS-infrastruktuuri mahdollistaa virtuaalitodellisuuden hyödyntämisen muun muassa taiteellisissa esityksissä. Kuva: Aalto Studios.

MAGICS – Media – Arts – Games – Interaction – Computing – Science (external link)

MAGICS is an infrastructure network to support research into motion recording, and virtual environments. It is a joint effort of Aalto University, Tampere University and the University of the Arts Helsinki.

Piece of code on the computer screen, colourful text

Science-IT

Infrastructure for high-level computational research.

Services
A dancer performing in a motion capture studio setting

Aalto Studios

Aalto Studios weaves together the players of the creative economy: designers, filmmakers, YouTubers, game developers, performing artists, educators, angel investors, public-sector operators, and more in Finland, Scandinavia, Europe, and beyond.

Research and learning infrastructures
Anturipiiri

Aalto Electronics-ICT - Electronics test facilities

School of Electrical Engineering offers 4 electronic test facilities

Services

Featured research bodies

HIIT logo

Helsinki Institute for Information Technology HIIT (external link)

Collaborative institute for research on information technology.

HAIC logo

Helsinki-Aalto Institute for Cybersecurity HAIC (external link)

Excellence in information security research and education.

virtual acoustics research group doing measurements in a concert hall

Virtual Acoustics

Professor Tapio Lokki

Department of Information and Communications Engineering
Image from remote site: acas.fi

Aalto Center for Autonomous Systems (external link)

ACAS combines Aalto expertise on various fields to tackle challenging systems-related research problems related to the autonomous operation of networked machines.

Departments in this area

Department of Computer Science

We are an internationally-oriented community and home to world-class research in modern computer science.

MS

Department of Mathematics and Systems Analysis

Our main research areas are algebra and discrete mathematics, analysis, applied mathematics and mechanics, stochastics and statistics, and systems analysis and operations research.

Aalto University / Aalto satellite / photo: Mikko Raskinen

Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering

Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering (ELE) conducts research and arranges related teaching courses in the fields of electromagnetics, micro and nanotechnology, radio engineering, and space technology.

 Äänen viivettä on tutkittu Suomen hiljaisimmassa huoneessa Otaniemessä sijaitsevassa kaiuttomassa huoneessa.  Kuva: Aalto-yliopisto / Mikko Raskinen

Department of Information and Communications Engineering

The department of Information and Communications Engineering has a strong focus in the ICT area varying from ICT technology to core electrical engineering and its basic phenomena.

Key research area contact

Jussi Nissilä

Manager, Digitalisation and AI Key Research Area, Aalto Networking Platform
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