Digitalization and postal issues

Maria Stockhaus (M)

Mr. Speaker! Imagine a doctor in northern Sweden who, with the help of AI in real-time, can analyze X-ray images and save lives without the patient needing to be sent 30 miles south! Imagine a farmer in Småland who, with AI-optimized sensors, understands exactly when the crop should be harvested so that nothing goes to waste! Or imagine an authority that, thanks to automated processing, can shorten waiting times from months to days and simultaneously improve legal certainty!

When one talks about digitalization and AI, at least I get a bit of that feeling that Jim Carrey conveyed in the film The Cable Guy. Many here are surely so young that they won't remember it. He stands on a large satellite dish and says: ”There’s no end to the possibilities.” It is about great possibilities but also about challenges with privacy, security, and vulnerability.

Mr. Speaker! Today, a long series of failed digitalization projects within the public sector were listed in Svenska Dagbladet. Both centralized political models with independent agencies and 290 municipalities and 21 regions are an advantage in many contexts, but AI and digitalization bring with them a number of challenges.

Digitalization has also brought new opportunities for non-democratic forces. Disinformation can be spread at a breakneck pace, and privacy can be threatened. We must not be naive about this. It requires responsibility, structure, and policies that can withstand reality. But the worst thing we can do is stand still and watch as other countries shape the future while we get stuck in investigations, hesitation, and rhetoric. Sweden must be at the digital forefront, not because it is technically exciting, but because it is crucial for welfare, competitiveness, and people's freedom.

It is precisely this that the Moderate government is working for. We have examples of internationally known Swedish companies that build their business idea on digital solutions. The government wants to see more such examples.

Mr. Speaker! Sweden is a digitally developed country. Sweden ranks among the top five in the EU when it comes to digital competence and digital usage. Of all Swedes, 97.6 percent use the internet. This can be compared with the EU average, which stands at just over 91 percent. In the EU's Digital Decade report, we perform very well, even though Denmark, Finland, and the Netherlands are ahead of us. But the margins are small.

Sweden is however lagging behind within the public sector. Companies exposed to competition have a different pressure on them to keep up or disappear. Therefore, it is important that politicians at all levels raise the issues. Next week, I am hosting an AI seminar here in the Riksdag which will focus on AI in the municipal sector. Then, several municipalities that have examples of implementations of AI will be present and tell about their journey.

The government has taken several initiatives so that the public sector can achieve better progress regarding digitalization and AI. This includes, among other things, assignments for competence-enhancing measures for AI within social services and assignments to facilitate the use of generative AI within the public sector. Regarding AI more generally, the government appointed the AI Commission, which delivered its conclusions ahead of schedule. The proposals are now being prepared at the Government Offices, and some of them have already become initiatives in our government bill. These concern AI workshops and regulatory sandboxes.

Mr. Speaker! We have a clear goal. Sweden shall be the best in the world at utilizing the possibilities of digitalization. We deliver with this goal in sight, but we are not satisfied with that. Right now, a review of the entire digitalization strategy is underway. Much has happened, and development is moving fast. It is high time for an update and new proposals that support Sweden's digital development.

Mr. Speaker! Even though most in Sweden are digital, there are people who, for various reasons, find it difficult to navigate or who, due to some functional variation, have difficulty participating in the digital society. Of all Swedes, 95 percent use the internet daily. For those who still stand outside, the government has, among other things, taken the initiative for Ring Digitalidag, launched by PTS this year. It is a concrete support where digital beginners can get help over the phone.

In addition to being able to access information, digital tools often offer faster and more efficient public services. We want more people to be able to take advantage of this. In December, the government received feedback on the assignment to propose measures to increase the proportion of individuals who are digitally included. These proposals are now being prepared in the Government Offices.

When it comes to digitalization in the public sector, the government's ambition is clear. Sweden shall be a leader in the development of open, secure, and efficient public services. It is pleasing to see that the proportion of users of digital services has increased from 93 to 96 percent between 2022 and 2024. It is a proof that we are on the right path, but as I mentioned earlier, there is more to be done.

In order to achieve better governance and momentum in digitalization issues, PTS and Digg have been tasked with preparing a merger. Digg will be merged into PTS to ensure better coordination between initiatives within digitalization.

If digital solutions are to work in Sweden and Sweden is to be able to fully take advantage of the opportunities that AI provides, a functioning infrastructure is required, something that the AI Commission highlights. The Government is investing 3.8 billion kronor to accelerate the broadband expansion in rural areas.

Madam Speaker! The committee report we are debating is titled Digitalization and Postal Issues. The question of future mail delivery has been discussed on numerous occasions in the committee. The fact is that mail volume has been halved in just ten years. At the same time, e-commerce and parcel deliveries are increasing dramatically. This presents challenges. The Government is following the developments and is prepared to take measures to secure mail delivery throughout the country. This is important, not least from a preparedness perspective.

Madam Speaker! I conclude by moving for the approval of the proposal in the report.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Mattias Ottosson (S)

Madam Speaker! Member Maria Stockhaus is a wise person, and I agree with much of what she presented in her speech.

I have a serious question, and it concerns the AI commission, which the member briefly touched upon. I thought she expressed it in a very good way, that it is dangerous to stand still. Sweden must not fall behind, but we must meet it with open arms and in a wise way.

The AI commission was led by Carl-Henrik Svanberg, an experienced corporate leader, but he had the help of a large number of experts who have worked with this for quite a few years. They received their assignment in 2023 and presented their proposal as early as this autumn. They did it very early, and the reason was that they felt this is so important that we must not stand still. Now the government has the opportunity to take these issues already beforehand and thus speed up the process.

It is 75 different points. In my world, what came in the spring budget was quite thin. My honestly meant question is: How does the member view this? How can we maintain this pace? And when it was so little – how can we increase the pace so that we get the development we want? Otherwise, we will fall hopelessly behind in Sweden.

We have historically ranked very high in these issues, but we are losing and losing. It is clear that it is not a good competitive situation for Swedish business that we end up in that position.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Maria Stockhaus (M)

Madam Speaker! I share the impatience. One would have wished that an AI commission had been appointed significantly earlier, but I am grateful that we received a commission and that they have proposals so that we get a clear framework.

Then the members know just as I do that we have a preparation requirement in this world. The AI Commission's report is excellent, but it is not a government investigation. Some of the proposals in the AI Commission's report will need to be investigated. Some will be included in the digitalization strategy, which is being updated now. The new strategy will be presented this spring, and some of the questions will be addressed there.

Something that Carl-Henrik Svanberg clearly highlighted was the importance of ensuring that there is a good digital infrastructure in place. There, the government is investing money in expanding broadband and is also investing in research on 6G, for example, to ensure that we have an infrastructure that holds up today and that can also hold up in the future. It is therefore several things that are being done, and more will come. But we have a preparation requirement.

A question that I raised in my speech and which is a challenge is that we have a number of regions and municipalities that are self-governing and which decide on their own development. In that regard, the government has a cooperation with SKR to support municipalities and regions, but ultimately it is about political leadership out in the municipalities and regions and about daring to take the necessary steps.

I hope to be inspired by the municipalities that I will meet next week. Some have dared to tackle the AI issue, but many have not even dared to develop an AI strategy in their own municipality.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Mattias Ottosson (S)

Madam Speaker! Thank you very much for the answer, Maria Stockhaus!

My feeling is that the member has a positive attitude. I experience that the member, who is a heavy Moderate representative, has a certain influence on what policies the Moderates present and drive in the government.

Among the 75 points, there are certain things that I think are more important than others. One can always rank them. This applies, for example, to how we educate people and how we get this into the school system. Last time, we took great help from adult education, for example when we had the large home computer reform, as we can call it, so that all Swedes could join the journey.

I share the opinion, and it naturally takes even longer to build up and expand the structure. I still believe that the signal of having some kind of national platform would be important for the expansion. I also believe that it would facilitate things for many regions and municipalities and also for Svenskt Näringsliv to have a common platform. It is thus how, for example, the public sector can start sharing data with each other, which is an important part of this.

So there is quite a lot that one could start with. It is easy to hide behind the requirement that we should investigate, but it is clear that we shall do so. We will, of course, follow the regulatory framework we have, but we have indeed done things quickly before – very quickly.

I think the AI commission has set a very good example by halving its time. The government could also do that, because we don't actually need to argue about this. We have a common view that this is extremely important for Swedish competitiveness, and then we should be able to jointly find an even faster way forward.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Maria Stockhaus (M)

Madam Speaker! I share the impatience, but I have respect for the fact that these are large and complicated issues and furthermore a decentralized political system that we have in our country.

There are assignments to look at secure ways to share data between authorities. In the current situation, one cannot even have exchange between regions' journal systems since they have organized data in completely different ways. When it comes to that question, we have a huge amount of data, and work is ongoing there to ensure how we can find secure ways to share data. It is fundamental, not least for the AI development, that we get this in place.

I have respect for the fact that these are difficult questions. We must not stand still, but we must ensure that we do not jeopardize privacy and security in Sweden.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Mattias Ottosson (S)

Madam Speaker! Digitalization is the theme for tonight's debate. The digitalization of Sweden affects all parts of society. No one can escape it. I believe it is important to keep this in mind. It will affect our living environment. It will affect our companies. It will affect our school. It will affect everything.

It is a technology revolution that is quite powerful. It maintains a very high speed and has a large scope. It affects the entire society. We know that that type of shift has historically always occurred and that major changes happen, both socially, economically and culturally.

At the same time, I do not want to sound too negative. I want to sound positive, because this creates incredible opportunities ahead. Therefore, Madam Speaker, I believe it is extremely important that we invest in infrastructure for this, but also in education.

It is important and extremely crucial that the entire country is covered by this, that all of Sweden is connected and that individual individuals in Sweden, from young to old, have the skills required so that one obtains the competence one needs in the area. The historically strong broadband expansion needs to continue, but it is important that the new technology with 5G, 6G, 7G, 8G and whatever comes next also continues and that it goes as fast as possible.

When it comes to the skills shortage, we must take advantage of the school's possibilities. Naturally, this should be an important part of the school, so that all young people can encounter it and get the same opportunities. But I also believe that one should seek help from adult education. Also, people who have left youth school must be part of the journey. And Swedish companies have a great responsibility when it comes to further educating their staff.

This is important, because otherwise Sweden will fall behind. Other countries will overtake us and do this faster. The home computer reform is a good example. There, it was TCO that took the initiative in the beginning, so that every family could afford a computer cheaply.

Madam Speaker! Furthermore, this also yields efficiency gains. Through this, we can create a simpler everyday life for our citizens. It will become easier to contact healthcare, various state authorities, and various companies. In that case, it is important that everyone has access to it and that everyone has the right competence.

Madam Speaker! When we talk about digitalization, artificial intelligence is something that keeps popping up. It is about the computer or the technology itself, in its own way, thinking. That automation will affect the entire society. I believe it is an important competence that we should take advantage of.

But at the same time, we must adapt to the new. I heard that at one company, or if it was a public authority, they were concerned that people were using this technology when they wrote personal letters in job applications. If I were to hire someone, I would choose the person who used the new technology. I believe that it is this mindset we should have when we consider this.

What role does the state have in this then? I believe that the state needs to take the lead and that we must achieve a national coordination in this area. The risk otherwise, if we were to leave it to the market, is that we would get a number of market failures where it does not turn out so well. The experience from many other European countries is, nevertheless, that the state has a large role in all of this. I also believe that from a class and justice perspective it is important, because it is important that all people are part of this journey. It strengthens Sweden and Swedish companies.

I think a negative attitude towards digitalization and AI has emerged in Sweden recently. As a Social Democrat, I am fundamentally pro-technology, and I believe that is how one should be. How should one then meet the technological development? It is naturally about education, so that everyone can take part in it and that it covers the whole country, so that all people have that competence.

Madam Speaker! There are some things touched upon in the report that I want to bring up. One example is this matter of BankID, which we have left to the market to manage. It is our large Swedish banks that handle this. I think we should have a state national overarching identification system that could complement BankID in a good way. Otherwise, it is as if the large Swedish charter companies were to be responsible for passports. I simply don't think it adds up. This is something that the state needs to take greater responsibility for.

Madam Speaker! In a previous exchange, I touched upon the AI commission. I would like to commend the commission. It is a good job that has been put in. It has been done in a fast manner, and it has been done in half the time.

Since then, I am a bit disappointed that so little was included in the spring budget. I think it could have been more. In the Social Democratic budget motion, we have included folkbildning, combination services, and centers of excellence, but it is clear that there could be more there as well. I believe that a faster pace needs to be maintained.

Are there then problems and threats with the new technology? Yes, of course there are. There always are. People can make mistakes, and technology and computers can also make mistakes. We must take that into account, but it should not be a reason to be opponents and not want to develop this. In that case, we have to find alternatives and safeguards. We already do that today.

A few years ago, Konsum was hit by an IT attack that meant customers could not pay with either cards or cash. Then there is a bit of worry about how it is going to work. In the old days, Russian elite soldiers would have sat outside Konsum and said that people were not allowed to go in and shop. Then we would have understood that something was wrong. Then one would have called the police or someone else who would have been allowed to come there and say: You cannot sit here and prevent people from going in and shopping! The stability and security regarding what to do if something goes wrong, we also need to find in the new system.

There is also an option to not have AI in certain systems. In general elections, where we vote every four years, we may not need to use the new technology, because it must never go wrong there. We may need to develop such an approach when it comes to threats in this.

Madam Speaker! I shall conclude by moving to approve reservation 13.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Magnus Oscarsson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Tonight we are debating digitalization and postal issues. I would like to begin by moving to approve the committee's proposal.

A great deal is happening when it comes to artificial intelligence. Already the first two speakers have spoken about it – and I continue, because this is very significant. It is no exaggeration to claim that AI already has an enormous impact on our entire society.

Sometimes it feels as if there are no limits to what one can get help with from AI. It is used, for example, in the public sector and among municipalities and regions. It has become a very large and important aid. Even in agriculture, which I usually talk a lot about, it is used. We heard my colleague Maria Stockhaus speak about tractors – I believe it was in Småland or something like that. The fact is that they are used today, but they will be used much more in the future.

But we must not have a naive view of AI. It is important that there are rules for how AI may be used. I am, like my colleague Mattias Ottosson, positive about AI, naturally. But it is good that the EU has taken the lead and adopted rules. It is something that more countries should do.

In some cases, AI is indeed a threat. In countries where people do not care about either democracy or human rights, AI is used effectively against people to maintain the dictatorship.

Madam Speaker! Sweden has landed at a modest number 17 on the global AI index. Of course, we should not be down there. We should have a different ranking, a top ranking. Sweden should be higher up on the list, and the government is actively working for that. An AI commission was appointed, which is now finished and has presented 75 proposals for measures that will make a big difference in the future.

In our spring budget amendment, there are funds to strengthen resilience against disinformation through AI competence. This is enormously important given that AI can be used to deceive people in various ways.

Madam Speaker! I am pleased that we have a government that is active in issues concerning digitalization. For example, the government is investing 3.8 billion in increased broadband support for better connectivity in rural areas, which is immensely important. This is a continued very important issue if we are serious about the whole of Sweden functioning.

Another very important issue is all the frauds that are committed daily, primarily against the elderly in Sweden. I can become so terribly angry and upset when I read or am told how criminal gangs call the elderly and trick them out of money. The Government has given a mandate to PTS to come up with proposals for measures to prevent these frauds.

Madam Speaker! Another important issue that the government and Civil Minister Erik Slottner have noted is digital exclusion. This primarily concerns the elderly and persons with certain disabilities. This has resulted in the fact that help can now be obtained via a telephone service at the Post and Telecom Authority. Through the telephone service, it is, for example, possible to get support with starting to use e-services, paying bills online, booking healthcare digitally, and making video calls. It is also possible to get personal guidance on where one can get practical help near the place of residence. This is very positive!

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Patrik Jönsson (SD)

Madam Speaker! Sweden's stated broadband strategy aims for 98 percent of all households and companies to have access to one gigabit per second by 2025. Furthermore, 1.9 percent shall have access to at least 100 megabits per second and the final 0.1 percent to at least 30 megabits per second.

According to the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority, these goals were essentially achieved already in the autumn of 2023. We can still be a bit proud of that! It should be seen as a great success for Sweden as a modern country regarding access to fast digital communication.

Thus, access to 5G has increased drastically. In April 2024, 90 percent of households had access to 5G, which can be compared with the year before, when the figure was only 67 percent.

It has not gone all that well for our operators to expand the mobile network along our high-traffic roads and railways. I mean that it was a mistake not to previously condition an expansion of the mobile network along roads and railways when the operators are granted the right to use frequency bands during the spectrum auctions. In 2025, it should be possible to have full access to the internet without interruption along our most heavily trafficked railways. However, PTS argues that it is in these very areas that coverage is now increasing fastest, which nevertheless provides some hope.

Madam Speaker! Looking at how Swedish companies, authorities, municipalities, and regions offer digital services, one sees that the majority of them are of high quality. In a thorough test of municipalities' websites where accessibility, web performance, information security, and users' personal privacy are measured, the average grade lands at 4.0 out of 5, which, by the way, is higher than I had when I finished primary school. This survey was conducted in April 2025. However, it is the same average grade as two years earlier.

With that said: Even though the accessibility can be considered good, I am completely convinced that there is more to be done, especially when it comes to more services being able to be offered via websites.

Madam Speaker! All 3G networks will be decommissioned before the end of 2025, and the 2G networks will meet the same fate. Tele 2 and Telenor are closing their 2G networks on December 1st this year, while Telia is keeping its network alive until the end of 2027.

There are quite a few things that are affected by this, and I will give some examples: certain mobile phones, meters for gas, water and sewage, telephone exchanges, card terminals, weather stations, E-call modems in vehicles for calls to 112, camera surveillance, parking meters, safety phones, locking mechanisms and alarm systems. More examples exist.

Two out of three municipalities have investigated to what extent this affects operations, and only seven out of ten municipalities state that they are prepared for this decommissioning. This gives some reason for concern. It may be quite irrelevant if a robot mower stops working, even though it can be annoying. But it cannot be compared to elderly safety alarms not working, the locking mechanism for doors used by home care services stopping working, or E-call systems shutting down. That is much more serious.

We need to follow up on this more closely, and perhaps we may have to consider a dialogue with the operators if we judge that the decommissioning is occurring too hastily. A decommissioning must not take place at the expense of people's lives and health.

Madam Speaker! We see how the use of artificial intelligence is increasing, but at the same time, Sweden as a nation is falling behind in this important development. The government's AI commission, led by Carl-Henric Svanberg, therefore released its roadmap for Sweden eight months earlier than planned, as it was of the opinion that it was truly urgent. It is argued that the government should go into high alert and establish a task force as well as establish something similar to the home-PC reform regarding artificial intelligence.

Sweden is lagging behind in the latest publication of the Global AI Index, where we have fallen from position 17 in 2023 to position 25 last year out of 83 compared countries globally. Regarding political governance, the figure was even more disheartening. There, Sweden ranks in position 57, also a falling placement.

In the report from the AI Commission, a total of 75 concrete proposals for measures are delivered, such as investment in qualified research, investment in knowledge regarding AI concerning public education, a security institute, the establishment of an excellence center, and investment in research schools for doctoral students.

Madam Speaker! AI will change our society – exactly how is impossible to predict. But society can be affected fundamentally. AI can be a support within healthcare and be used in technology development or to streamline industry and everything in between. Many work tasks and actual jobs, for that matter, will disappear. But new ones will of course emerge.

Sweden alone is a small actor in a global perspective, but together with the rest of the EU, we need to roll up our sleeves if we are not to let the USA and China take the entire playing field for themselves.

Madam Speaker! We are struggling with the fact that fewer and fewer letters are being sent. Letter volumes are decreasing by approximately 10 percent annually, and as fewer letters are sent, postage is being raised for natural reasons. A stamp costs 22 kronor today, which means a doubling in just five years. Furthermore, letters are no longer transported by a single actor as they used to be; more than one actor can deliver letters to the same mailbox.

Delivery now takes place every other day, and with the current development, the question will soon arise as to whether letters should be delivered even less frequently. We will likely be faced with the question of whether we will need to inject tax funds to fulfill the social mission of postal service or if letters in a few years should only be delivered once a week.

I mean that in the foreseeable future we are dependent on a functioning postal service and that we must be able to send letters to and between households with a reasonable delivery time. Furthermore, in the event of crisis and war, we must have a functioning postal service, something that is quite rarely spoken about in the debate.

The Danes received a harsh awakening when they were faced with the completed fact: After New Year's this year, Postnord will stop delivering letters in Denmark. In 2023, a political decision was made which meant that Postnord no longer had any obligation to deliver mail throughout Denmark. They are now, therefore, shutting down that entire operation, and 1,500 mailboxes are to be dismantled. I have not been able to see how the issue is to be solved, for I find it difficult to believe that the need to send letters has completely disappeared.

Madam Speaker! I do not think we should have that development in Sweden.

(Applause)

In this speech, Rashid Farivar (SD) agreed.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Helena Gellerman (L)

Madam Speaker! Today in the Committee on Transport, we are debating digitalization and postal issues.

Sweden has very good conditions to be among the leaders in using AI and digitalization in society and at the same time counteract the negative side effects. We are good at cooperating and finding solutions where many actors do their part of the development.

We have, however, for a very long time had a self-image that we are also good at digitalization. That is true in a number of areas, but the self-image has led to us not seeing the whole picture and that Sweden is no longer counted among the foremost. We can, however, change that with joint efforts.

AI is already providing great advantages in healthcare, education and research, and for the maintenance of Sweden's road and railway infrastructures, to give some examples. Reports show a potential of 140 billion in savings within the public authorities.

Madam Speaker! The Liberals are technology optimists. The development of AI will have as great an impact on our society in Sweden, in the EU, and globally as the ongoing climate development. We must therefore increase the pace of our use of AI, so that we in Sweden, based on our values regarding individual freedom and our unique position as the world's most innovative country, can be involved in steering how AI will be applied here at home and in our global environment – an AI based on ethical guidelines.

It is particularly important here to safeguard and develop the structures we have in Sweden that facilitate and drive the innovative system, for example Vinnova and the universities' work with the utilization of research results and cooperation with the business sector.

The government has appointed an AI commission which, in November 2024, submitted an interim report and in February 2025 a roadmap for Sweden in the form of a government inquiry. It is exciting reading. There are 75 proposals in a number of different areas. The government is now working with the report and has already introduced a number of measures. As an example, I can mention that 25 agencies, in their regulatory letters, have been tasked to report on how they are developing their use of AI. Sweden has also applied and been selected as the host for one of the European AI factories. We are going to investigate the impact of the register laws on data sharing to facilitate access to data, a prerequisite for AI development. We have provided increased resources for computing power for AI use and are going to create regulatory sandboxes. A long series of measures is therefore already underway.

Politics can provide the conditions, but it is through companies' innovations and development within all sectors of society that we realize the great potential of AI. The truly great challenge is that people in their daily work should be able to understand and utilize the potential of AI in their work tasks.

That is why the Liberals have submitted a motion for a new home chat reform, similar to the home PC reform that boosted digital skills in the 1990s. By gaining access to good tools at home, adults and especially children in a home environment can test and investigate what AI can contribute. With such a basic competence, one can more easily understand and develop one's work tasks with the help of AI.

At the same time, AI, like all technologies, can be used for negative purposes: controlling the population, spreading disinformation, letting well-known people make statements that run counter to the person's values – yes, the list can be long. The risk of spreading disinformation in a credible way is perhaps the greatest danger to our democratic system. Who can one trust?

I will take an example. A friend of mine was subjected to an experiment by his daughter. They had a long conversation digitally with video, and it was not until they reached specific details in her childhood that he began to wonder. Something was not right. It turned out that he had unknowingly chatted for 20 minutes with an avatar with access to information about his daughter that was available online. He could, therefore, not tell the difference between his own daughter and an avatar. That is how good the technology is today. How do we protect ourselves against misuse?

This week we heard that TikTok has stored data about Swedes on Chinese servers despite a previous emphatic denial. A study was also released showing that Scandinavians are among the world's most monitored people online, where third-party collections are carried out digitally before we click that we do not want to be registered.

The Swedish use of American cloud services – this is something that is used in many municipalities and regions, and we are looking at it here in the Riksdag as well – is based on an executive order signed by Biden that the NSA in the USA shall not be allowed access to stored European personal data. Trump can, with a new executive order – and it is said that he is considering it – remove this and make all storage in these cloud services illegal.

I am not bringing this up to scare anyone, but it is important to be able to have two thoughts in one's head at the same time. We shall embrace the enormous potential of AI and digitalization, while at the same time we must counteract the negative effects.

We have a platform to stand on. Sweden, for example, has come the furthest in Europe in the development of a technology similar to that used in ChatGPT but which rests on open source software, which provides insight into how the system works. We also have great competence in the area. For example, the Swedish AI cluster has developed a proposal for an AI strategy for Sweden.

The AI development also points out that the fundamental digitalization of our public sector must increase significantly. Today's data systems must interoperate, and we must develop effective ways to share data. The development is based on our ability to utilize different datasets effectively while simultaneously safeguarding personal privacy.

I also want to bring up the assignment that the government has given to the Agency for Digital Government to develop a digital ID and a digital wallet. It is a decision that comes from the EU, so this will apply in the entire EU. One will be able to use digital ID, for example, to be able to go in and order medicine at a pharmacy, in the entire EU.

In the basic structure, the expansion of our 5G network and broadband network is also fundamental. To increase people's and companies' access to broadband, we need to open up for different technical solutions to get broadband also in sparse and rural areas. The Government is investing 3.8 billion on broadband throughout the country.

Simultaneously with this development, we are phasing out 2G and 3G. When something is removed, it is truly important to be attentive to what effects it has and whether these are things that become too difficult for certain groups in society and that we, from a political standpoint, need to act upon.

It is also necessary to place a defense aspect on what we do and analyze vulnerabilities when we collect a lot of data with easy data access and when 5G networks cause society to be connected and the alternatives to the digital are dismantled. The Liberals welcome the increased interest in our country's preparedness in these matters. Total Defense's requirement for a plan B, a system that works if the electricity is disconnected, is very important. This can also, to some extent, be linked to the fact that all people must be able to perform necessary services without being connected. We shall have an inclusive digitalization, not one that places people in exclusion.

Madam Speaker! Postal services in Sweden are important, not least from a preparedness perspective, and digitalization has drastically reduced the number of letters sent. It is important that postal services function throughout the country. Mail, parcels, and broadband are important parts of the society's infrastructure for all of Sweden to function. This is also a feeling among people, that is to say, people consider that if postal services are dismantled in Sweden, society will retreat. Let us be attentive in this matter when we make decisions regarding postal services in Sweden.

Finally, Madam Speaker, we Liberals are technology optimists. We truly believe that Sweden has the ability to take a leading position in Europe within AI. It is about our capacity for data-driven innovation, to see the potential of digitalization for old and new companies, and to reduce the costs for a good welfare state. We also believe that Sweden can show the way for a development where the risks can be minimized.

I therefore move for approval of the committee's proposal for a decision and rejection of all motions.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Malin Östh (V)

Madam Speaker! During the time I have been politically active, since 2010, I have sat in very many meetings and listened to various presentations on digitalization. There have been many strategy days and many strategy documents.

The strategy days have begun with a dark, serious picture describing the situation for the public sector, which faces large and difficult challenges. It is about an aging population, sharply increasing needs, a difficult skills shortage, and a serious resource deficiency.

After that introduction, with one diagram more challenging than the other, the conclusion has then been presented, and it has often been that the welfare crisis is a fact but that it shall be solved within the framework and with fewer employees. It will be difficult, it has been said, but it will work because we are now going to work "smarter". Smarter ways of working and digitalization have been the solution with a capital L for many years.

We in Vänsterpartiet are positive about large parts of the digitalization, but to expect that it will miraculously resolve a structural and serious underfunding of the public sector that has persisted for decades is not reasonable. The welfare crisis needs its own solution.

Madam Speaker! The primary function of digitalization should be increased accessibility and benefit to the citizens, and when used correctly, digitalization can achieve exactly that. But this requires a clear strategy to ensure that digitalization occurs equitably and thoughtfully: in the public sector, not from a top-down perspective but in cooperation with active employee influence and in dialogue with the trade unions, at the societal level, with equality and inclusion as core principles, and at the individual level, with consideration for personal privacy and without compromising the need for social interaction and the physical meeting.

But for digitalization to work at all, the digital infrastructure also needs to work. Without a functioning connection where people live – no digitalization. In Sweden, we have adopted an ambitious broadband strategy, which has targets for this year, 2025. It looks good at an overall level, but broken down, we see a clear pattern where rural and sparsely populated areas have fallen behind.

Madam Speaker! I live in the countryside myself, and a few years ago the fixed copper line where I live was cut. We were promised that fiber would be in place quickly, but it did not happen that fast. We had to wait for seven years. We were still lucky then because there are still large white spots in my home region. There are examples of municipalities that, in densely populated areas, are very close to the 100-percent goal for fast broadband but in more sparsely populated parts of the same municipality lie significantly lower. There is still a large and unacceptable difference in the rollout.

The difference is due to the decision that the broadband expansion shall be market-driven. When profitability is a factor and an incentive, the expansion will occur where it is simpler and cheaper to build, that is, in and around cities and urban areas. The expansion in rural areas is delayed and pushed into the future. That is how market logic works.

Here, the government needs to return with a policy that includes, and guarantees, a fully connected Sweden – this time for real. The new digitalization strategy that the government has said should be developed must therefore contain an increase in ambition and clearly address the needs of the countryside.

Madam Speaker! Just as broadband, a functioning postal service is also part of a fundamental and socially important infrastructure, and regarding the postal service, we have seen major changes in recent years. In 2022, every-other-day delivery was introduced in Sweden. Last year, almost 3,000 of the yellow post boxes were removed, and this year the postage was raised to 22 kronor – a doubling of the postage cost in four years.

Starting in January next year, Postnord Denmark will completely stop delivering letters. In Sweden, Swedish Postnord wants it to take even longer to deliver letters than it does today. In the long run, we risk the same development as in Denmark. Here, it is important to stand up for a society-wide postal service by ensuring that the mandate is not eroded but, on the contrary, strengthened.

With this, I move for approval of the Left Party's reservation number 25.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Anders Karlsson (C)

Madam Speaker! Today's report covers a wide range of topics, including electronic communication, artificial intelligence, digital participation in public activities, and postal issues. But I begin by moving for approval of reservation 16, Access to electronic communication, under point 6.

I will not say thank you to the government, but you have succeeded well with the continued expansion of the broadband strategy, which has been ongoing for a long time in Sweden. A completely new type of traffic, fiber, has been built. It has been a tough assignment and a long journey. I have been involved since the start. The first time I received information on this matter was from a person named Anna-Karin Hatt, minister, at a municipal meeting. After that, I was the chairperson for the work in the municipality and led the expansion.

What I have seen during this journey is that it is not always obvious at what pace one should expand. It does not just depend on the will of a municipality, but there must also be a will from the one who wants to purchase the service.

When the copper network remained, for a long time many chose a simpler technology, ADSL, and not fiber. It was for cost reasons, even though the fiber was actually cheap.

There was a regulatory framework that meant one could not compete, but it was to be private companies. We complied with that. But the private companies did not always fulfill the task of establishing themselves in a way that was good for the customer. This led to someone else having to do it. Many times it was the municipality and its broadband initiatives that had to be someone else.

I think it has gone very well. We have come a long way. One might think that there is great coverage today. But it should have been a coverage of 100 percent by 2025. When we say that there should be a coverage of 100 percent by 2025, one should not let oneself be deceived. That is because it is enough that the question has been asked if you want fiber. If you then answer no, it still becomes a check; you are considered to be connected to fiber. It is actually 20–25 percent who have answered no to the question. They have not seen the need to have fiber. We therefore have a journey left to make to reach more.

It is also about stimulating those customers and individuals, in order to get fiber to everyone. There is, in fact, an idea in society, not least in the public sector, about utilizing this. In home care, for example, we cannot utilize these new services and build services in a sensible way until we have somehow reached out with these functions with the help of fiber or internet.

My plea to the government is that the pace should not be slowed down. We see that it is 3.8 billion this year. We know that approximately 15–20 billion more are needed before the expansion targets are reached. That does not include the fact that 20–25 percent are not connected but have only been asked.

Malin was pointing out that it is unequal, and it is unequal across the country. There are municipalities that have not come as far. This is often due to the fact that the copper network remains, as I began by saying. They have fallen behind, even when it comes to technological development. This will have effects in the next step, when we talk about AI development, which I will come to a bit later.

Don't lose the beat! We will put money into our shadow budgets. I hope there will be continued pressure on the budgets from the government moving forward, so that the goal can be reached, even if it will not be reached by 2025. It will take at least ten years more before we are where we actually should have been.

Another part that is important in these times of crisis is to build up a robustness. It is not just about us having fiber, but we must secure support with electricity during power outages. We must achieve a much more stable function than we have today beyond the redundancy, which is a good part of the stability.

It is not just about fiber, however. We also go on the internet on our phones. Getting onto the internet with 5G is very important. The Center's requirement is that 95 percent shall reach 90 percent. That is something we are quite far from when it comes to coverage in the country. When we talk about 5G, however, it is quite vague. There are different levels. One can say that there is 5G light. 5G works very differently in different places. In some places, you can stream movies, and in some places, you can hardly do anything. We must not be deceived there. It is, as I see it, more important to talk about functions with 5G than to talk about 6G and 7G.

Why is it important to get this infrastructure out? Maria Stockhaus touched upon that in her speech; when we move forward with new technology, we must have the roads in place. AI is coming. I am personally not particularly worried about AI becoming a concern when it comes to getting it out on the market. The market is currently efficient and eager to find new solutions and to use that technology. We see that in all contexts.

I myself received an AI solution for my battery and solar cell system. I hardly even asked for it. It was just a matter of ticking a box. The function became incredibly much better. But last night, the function was not so good. Then I sent an email, and an AI robot handling support replied. AI is coming into everything in the system. That is how it looks.

This morning we had a seminar on how genetic modification can be used for crop improvements, for example in seeds, to increase the rate and pace of its development. It is very exciting.

We will see very many applications for more and more. As I see it, the market will solve this.

I am actually a bit more concerned when it comes to public activities. When we recruit managers, I believe we must be careful that one of the questions concerns how they want to use AI development and how they view the possibility of AI as a tool moving forward.

In conclusion, we have the mail issue. It is almost a bit under decommissioning when it comes to how we handle the letters themselves. On the other hand, the parcels are increasing. There is a huge need to get them out. It is roughly the same actors there. It is also important that there is a competition situation between different actors on the market, so that we do not sabotage the competition that exists.

Sometimes one might think that speed is not as important when it comes to getting mail out, but it is many times at least equally important today to get mail out on time. Even if we reduce the delivery of letters, it may be necessary to get the packages out on the day in one way or another. In that case, it is important that there are services for that as well.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Jan Riise (MP)

Madam Speaker! It has now been eight years since the red-green government presented a digitalization strategy for Sweden. The then Minister for Housing and Digitalization, Peter Eriksson, listed five areas as models for a positive societal development: digital competence, digital security, digital leadership, innovation, and infrastructure.

We have heard from the current government about a new digitalization strategy. But I have certainly not seen it. Others here have testified that it has not quite reached launch or presentation.

The government also appears to have given up on the 2017 strategy for a world-leading Swedish position in the area. Others have also witnessed this. I think a bit like von Heidenstam said: It is more pleasant to hear a string snap than to never tension a bow.

However, the AI Commission has, as is known, submitted a roadmap for Sweden with no fewer than 75 proposals to quickly get Sweden on track regarding innovative development within the area of artificial intelligence. The report has been on consultation and is being processed in the Government Offices. I will return to it in a couple of minutes.

At the end of 2024, a few months ago, the current government gave a mandate to Digg and PTS, that is, the Agency for Digital Government and the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority, to consider closer cooperation and thus a more developed digitalization work within the public sector.

In Miljöpartiet, we have long advocated that high-quality broadband should be available throughout the entire country. Good access to digital services is a prerequisite for being able to live, work, run businesses, and operate anywhere in the country. That one should be able to do that is somewhat of an idea we have. We can state that digitalization needs to be strengthened for small and medium-sized enterprises in rural areas. Where the market cannot manage to build out broadband, the state needs to take increased responsibility to finance, for example, fiber and fast mobile networks in rural areas.

A robust infrastructure is crucial for society's resilience and makes it harder to attack society's stability. In a robust infrastructure, I would like to include this matter of the right competence and knowledge. There, not only home-grown solutions but also study associations and folk education play key roles, I would think.

Madam Speaker! While waiting for the digitalization strategy, I thought I would say a few words about our priorities and proposals. After that, I will speak a little about AI as a conclusion.

Our goal for the digitalization of the public administration is a simpler everyday life for citizens, a more open administration that supports innovation and participation, as well as higher quality and efficiency in operations. These goals also clarify and specify parts of the administrative policy goal. We want to emphasize that in order to achieve this, access to data is required, not least because data is crucial for technological development. We therefore believe that the government should review how access to data can be increased and ensure that the Agency for Digital Government promotes public actors' ability to share and utilize data.

Digitalization permeates our society. Sweden has a very high use of e-identities. BankID is used, among other things, to carry out errands and sign documents digitally. In order to be able to obtain a BankID, a Swedish personal identity number and a bank account are required. This means that today there are people in Sweden who are excluded from the possibility of using BankID.

Sweden is also one of the few countries within the EU that does not have a state electronic ID. Electronic IDs are a critical social infrastructure that must function 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The now changed security policy situation, a growing digital exclusion, and new requirements from the EU make the issue of a state electronic ID more relevant than ever. Otherwise, digitalization risks making access to necessary services more difficult for, for example, the elderly and people with some form of disability, but also for persons without a Swedish personal identity number.

I want to remind again of the security policy situation, which has underlined the importance of ensuring that there are alternatives when digital solutions risk being down. I mean, therefore, that a state digital e-identification should be introduced. But I also mean that there must be alternative solutions in place for those who lack bankID or other digital e-identification.

Before I move on to the questions regarding AI, I want to mention a reservation which, for reasons of practice, I will not move for approval. It concerns internet on trains. Perhaps some speaker has touched upon this. It is distressing that we still do not have secure connection on the major train lines in Sweden after so many years. This simply must be resolved.

Madam Speaker! Within the Green Party, we have been working with AI issues for a few years now. We are positively inclined towards the development of technology. It can give us many advantages, not least within the health sector and when it comes to understanding and thus being able to counter climate change. Droughts, heatwaves, floods, and fires are extremely complex events. AI has the potential to contribute to efforts that in turn can contribute to limiting the damage or preventing it.

Real-time data should be analyzed against the background of previous experiences and analyses. The development of such models places very high demands on both transparency and credibility. Through cooperation across different areas, we can have a completely different level of preparedness and thus also an opportunity to limit risks, damages, and the severe consequences for individuals that we see in so many climate-related contexts. We, of course, view that type of development positively. The AI Commission's proposals regarding resources for research and development are, of course, welcome.

At the same time, we are careful to examine the disadvantages of technology regarding violations of human rights, as well as when it concerns phenomena as disparate as workplaces, privacy, and copyright. The development in the field is incomprehensibly fast. Those who want to stay updated must follow newsletters and texts on blogs and the like almost daily.

Recently, that is to say in the last few weeks, several writers have raised the issue of AI-generated texts and images that are almost indistinguishable from the originals used as training material. The "Ghibli effect" is used as a term. Ghibli is a specific Japanese style that Studio Ghibli has developed but which can now be mass-produced. This raises entirely new questions regarding copyright and who actually has the right to what. To the extent that there is a "Jan Riise, Miljöpartiet" style, with my words, my sentence structure, and my linguistic patterns, it is of course possible to create texts that look as if I actually said or wrote them that way.

Add to that everything that has been written on Facebook and other channels over the last 20 years and which is now being compiled by the large companies. It is also the case that AI is being integrated into the search services, so that the answers I get when I search for something are tailored to a person whom their algorithms believe I am. I have already seen this happening. It may be in the beginning of the development, but it works. However, I do not always think it fits so well.

Madam Speaker! We are also concerned about the enormous energy consumption that these AI systems generate. We are not talking about small servers and server halls. We also view the consequences of the large hardware requirements with concern, not least because it concerns the use of finite resources and rare metals.

There is something called the Jevons paradox. It is an old concept. In Swedish, it would be roughly that the best becomes the good's enemy. Increased use leads to better products which, in turn, in this case still lead to increased climate effects. We, of course, follow this with great attention.

I move for the approval of reservation number 20 on competence, which I touched upon briefly.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Inga-Lill Sjöblom (S)

Madam Speaker! We must talk about the mail. We have talked about digitalization, IT, and all electrical things, but we must also talk about the good old mail. The truth is that much has changed in recent decades. Do you remember when there was mail delivery Monday to Friday? Yes, we all do here. We are all old-timers. There was A-post and B-post. One could choose how fast one wanted their letters delivered. One picked up one's packages at the post office. If one lived in the countryside, one received them at the door.

We will never return to that time. Now one has to think about which day and which week it is. Will the mail come on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, or will it come on Tuesday and Thursday? Eh, I don't bother going to the mailbox at all! So the letter lies there and waits. One gets depressed that the mail comes at such crazy times.

Madam Speaker! Fewer letters are sent, and it is happening more digitally. I believe that two out of three letters are sent digitally. But that does not mean that the need for the postal service has disappeared. On the contrary, both letters and parcels still play an important role in many people's everyday lives. We do not think it should matter where one lives in Sweden – whether one lives in the city or in the countryside, in the north or in the south. One should be able to rely on the mail arriving on time and that it functions as it should. It cannot be that profit interests get to decide what the postal service looks like. It is about something bigger: about community service, about security, and about the fact that we should all be able to be reached and send things in a reliable way.

We therefore want to be clear: The postal service cannot be completely handed over to the market. Responsibility from the side of society is needed, and there the government has a large and important role. It is its task to ensure that the mail works in all of Sweden. This is not about nostalgia. It is about justice and about holding the whole country together.

Furthermore, it is about how we in our country can protect ourselves in the event of war and how our lives can continue. Physical letters are hardly mentioned at all when we discuss preparedness in these turbulent times. But Postnord plays a decisive role for our total defense. The employees at Postnord are actually war-stationed.

By keeping the mail service running, the state can ensure that important communication both between authorities and with citizens continues even under difficult conditions. It is not just about getting letters through. It is about being able to send medicines, supplies, and other necessary information. Postnord has a mandate to deliver letters and parcels up to 20 kg. It is a task that is important in an uncertain time and in an uncertain world.

Madam Speaker! In conclusion, I would like to move for the approval of reservation 23.

(Applause)

The deliberation was hereby concluded.

(A decision was to be taken on 8 May.)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)