Aarhus University launches AI cognition research center

Aarhus University has launched a new interdisciplinary research center, ‘Thinking With Machines: Human Cognition in the Age of GenAI’, supported by a 50 million DKK grant from the Carlsberg Foundation. Over the next six years, the center will investigate how generative AI influences human thought, learning, creativity, and scientific discovery. The research will span three primary environments: education in primary and secondary schools, creative professional settings, and natural science research laboratories.

Parallel to these academic efforts, there is a growing call for national action to address the digital skills gap. Experts suggest that the lack of AI competence is a significant barrier to productivity and competitiveness. Research indicates that 74 percent of leaders in small and medium-sized enterprises view a lack of employee skills as a hurdle to AI implementation, while one in four academics feels a high need for new digital competencies. To prevent economic inequality and a divided labor market, there are proposals for a national technological transition fund to support upskilling and responsible AI implementation.