The Swedish government has decided to review legislation on the use of AI in Sweden to ensure that Swedish rules are in line with the new EU AI Regulation.
The new EU AI Regulation, which came into effect on 1 August this year, will create a common set of rules for the development and use of AI systems in the EU. It aims to ensure a high level of safety, health and protection of fundamental rights for all EU citizens.
The government has now decided to set up an inquiry to examine "the need for national adjustments" in Swedish laws to bring them into line with the regulation.
– We are in the midst of a technological change where AI has great potential to change the way we work in many sectors and in many parts of society. With this inquiry, we are taking an important step to ensure that AI is used in a way that is safe, reliable and in line with our fundamental values, said Minister for Civil Affairs Erik Slottner in a press release.
The inquiry will propose any necessary legislative changes, as well as measures for transparency and control. Helena Rosén Andersson has been appointed as the investigator and will report no later than 30 September 2025.
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AI has revolutionized the ability to automate complex work tasks. Swedish tech company Teuton Systems helps businesses get started with solutions that were previously reserved for large corporations.
Repetitive tasks steal valuable time from office workers every week. Now a new generation of AI-driven automation tools makes it possible even for smaller companies to streamline operations – without programming skills or large IT budgets.
No-code automation is growing rapidly in the Nordic region. The driving force is simple: companies that automate their workflows save both time and money, while the risk of human error decreases drastically.
The challenge for many smaller companies has been that traditional automation requires expensive consultants or in-house developers. But solutions like n8n are changing the game by offering powerful automation at a fraction of the cost of established cloud services.
The real game-changer came when n8n integrated AI functions, making it possible for a workflow to make intelligent decisions and act accordingly. According to TechCrunch, the use of n8n has grown significantly since 2022, when these features were introduced. With support for AI integrations and hundreds of ready-made workflows, even smaller companies can now build intelligent workflows that previously required large development teams.
Concrete use cases for small businesses
For e-commerce companies, automation can mean that new orders automatically update inventory balances, generate shipping labels and send tracking information to customers – all without manual handling. Accounting firms can automate document management, receipt scanning and customer communication during tax season.
A particularly popular use case is automatic handling of customer inquiries. When someone fills out the contact form on the website, an automatic flow starts that saves the information in the CRM system, sends a confirmation email to the customer, notifies the sales team in Slack and creates a task in the project management tool – all in a few seconds:
Example: Handling contact forms on the website, processed in seconds. This flow runs 24/7 and can handle hundreds of requests per day without any problems.
For a company receiving 50 inquiries per week, this means 4-8 hours of saved work time, every week. In customer service, the tool can also handle automatic routing of support cases to the right department and AI-driven responses to common questions. Marketing departments use automation to coordinate content publishing across multiple platforms and handle lead follow-up automatically.
Companies that have implemented n8n report impressive results. The small company Bordr built a six-figure business in a few months thanks to automated workflows that handle everything from payments to document generation – without their own development department.
Privacy and control – more important than ever
For many companies, choosing an automation tool is about more than just functionality. Unlike cloud-based alternatives, n8n offers the ability to run automation on your own servers, which means company data stays with the company with full control over storage and security. For businesses with GDPR requirements, trade secrets or privacy focus, this is a crucial advantage. The self-hosted version is also completely free with unlimited executions.
The pricing model is transparent and predictable. For those who choose the cloud version, you pay per complete workflow – regardless of how many steps it contains. For complex automations, this means significant savings compared to services that charge per step. And as previously mentioned – the self-hosted version is completely free to use, without ongoing license fees or subscriptions.
The tool has received high ratings from users on review platforms like G2 and is backed by leading investors like Sequoia. With hundreds of integrations (Gmail, Slack, Trello, Excel, and most other tools companies use daily) and a rapidly growing user base, n8n has established itself as one of the most popular automation tools.
Example of workflow enhanced with artificial intelligence and advanced connections. n8n makes it possible to automate complex processes by connecting different systems, APIs and AI services in a visual interface. Each node represents an action or data source that can be combined to create powerful automation flows.
Get started quickly with professional help
Although n8n is built to be user-friendly, the right expertise can make a big difference in getting started quickly and securely. For companies that want professional help, Swedish company Teuton Systems offers consultation and installation of n8n as a service. This means getting help with everything from secure setup on your own servers to customized automation solutions adapted and configured to your business needs – without having to build your own technical expertise from scratch.
For smaller companies looking to streamline without large IT investments, automation can be the key to increased productivity and competitiveness. With the right partner and tools, the transition from manual work to automation happens faster than many think.
Want to know more about how n8n can fit your specific business? Contact Teuton Systems for a free consultation.
After the Swedish government, together with the Sweden Democrats party, significantly raised the cap for return migration grants, support for receiving the grant is now increasing among certain immigrant groups.
The Swedish government's significant increase of the return migration grant at the turn of the year is meeting mixed reactions among the population. A new opinion poll shows that support is strongest among foreign-born residents in so-called vulnerable areas – and weakest among left-wing voters.
At the same time, debate is growing about how the grant should be used and what effects it may have for municipalities and the state.
When the Tidö government (Sweden's center-right coalition government) raises the return migration grant from approximately €900 to €31,000 at the turn of the year, the goal is to encourage more migrants who are deemed difficult to integrate to voluntarily return to their countries of origin.
The reform has created extensive political debate, not least after several red-green (left-wing) municipalities indicated their opposition to the measure.
This has led representatives from the Tidö parties and the Sweden Democrats to question whether state support should continue to municipalities that do not participate in the program.
Now a new survey from Indikator Opinion, commissioned by the Järvaveckan Foundation, shows that support for the significantly increased grant varies greatly between different groups.
Support varies greatly
According to the survey, attitudes are significantly more positive among foreign-born residents living in vulnerable areas than in the rest of the country.
In these areas, 39 percent say they are positive about an increased return migration grant, while 30 percent are negative. In the rest of the country – including both native Swedes and immigrants – the proportion of positive responses is 27 percent and the proportion of negative responses is 38 percent.
The most positive group is migrants who have lived in Sweden for less than five years and who also live in vulnerable areas. There, 46 percent say they view the grant increase positively.
Ahmed Abdirahman, CEO of the Järvaveckan Foundation, believes the reaction says something important about how people experience their situation in Sweden.
— That support for an increased return migration grant is greater among foreign-born residents in vulnerable areas may seem surprising at first glance. But the results show how complex the question of integration is. I see it as a sign that we need to talk more about opportunities, not just about benefits. When people don't feel included in nation-building, the willingness to consider other alternatives also increases, he says.
Right-wing voters more positive
The survey also shows large differences between different party sympathies. Among Sweden Democrats' voters, 47 percent are positive about the grant increase, while the corresponding proportion among Christian Democrats' voters is 45 percent.
The least support is found among Left Party and Green Party sympathizers, where a majority view the government's direction negatively.
Per Oleskog Tryggvason, opinion director at Indikator Opinion, emphasizes that the proposal is still unpopular among broader segments of voters.
— A significantly increased return migration grant is a relatively unpopular proposal among Swedish voters – clearly more people think it's bad than think it's good. Even though the proposal is significantly more popular among the Tidö parties' voters, there is a considerable proportion of right-wing voters who are skeptical. Based on these figures, it doesn't appear to be an election-winning proposal, he says.
The grant increase takes effect at the turn of the year. How many people will actually choose to apply remains to be seen – interest has been lukewarm so far, but the government hopes the new amount will change the situation.
The Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, a Chinese research institute, has successfully converted thorium into uranium in an experimental reactor, enabling nearly unlimited access to nuclear energy.
The two-megawatt molten salt reactor is the world's only functioning facility of its kind.
The experiment has, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, demonstrated that thorium-based technology is technically feasible in molten salt reactors and represents a significant breakthrough. It is the first time researchers have been able to collect experimental data from thorium operation in such a reactor, reported the newspaper Science and Technology Daily.
The reactor has produced heat through nuclear fission since reaching criticality on October 11, 2023, according to Li Qingnuan, party secretary and deputy director at the institute.
Superior fuel availability
Thorium exists in much larger quantities and is more readily available than uranium. A single mining waste site in Inner Mongolia is estimated to contain enough thorium to supply all of China with energy for over a thousand years.
The new technology is based on a process where naturally occurring thorium-232 is converted into uranium-233 inside the reactor core. Thorium-232 absorbs a neutron and becomes thorium-233, which then decays into protactinium-233 and finally into uranium-233 – a fissile material that can sustain nuclear reactions.
The thorium is dissolved in a fluoride salt that forms a high-temperature molten mixture which functions as both fuel and coolant. The system creates a self-sustaining cycle where the reactor "breeds" fuel while simultaneously producing energy.
Requires no water cooling
Unlike conventional reactors, the thorium reactor requires no water at all for cooling, allowing it to be located in dry inland areas. The molten fluoride salts efficiently transfer heat at atmospheric pressure and extreme temperatures.
Safety is, according to the developers, significantly higher than in traditional reactors because the system operates at atmospheric pressure, eliminating the risk of high-pressure explosions. In the event of a leak, the molten salt would flow into a passive collection tank where it would solidify.
The reactor reached full power in June 2024, and in October of the same year, the world's first experiment with adding thorium to a molten salt reactor was conducted. China is now building a 100-megawatt demonstration reactor in the Gobi Desert with the goal of proving the technology is commercially viable around 2035.
Products containing muscimol from fly agaric mushrooms have become increasingly popular and are often sold as natural medicine. Now the Swedish Public Health Agency (Folkhälsomyndigheten) wants the government to stop the trade by classifying the substance as narcotics.
The fly agaric has long been regarded as a symbol of poisonous mushrooms, but it is not quite as toxic as the destroying angel (Amanita virosa) – which is deadly. Historically, the fly agaric is said to have been used by Siberian shamans, among others, to alter their state of consciousness in order to establish contact with the spirit world in rituals.
In Sweden during the 1800s, people hardly ate any mushrooms at all, but the fly agaric was still considered useful as it was used as an insecticide against flies, from which it also got its name. When food became scarce for Swedes, authorities tried to encourage more mushroom consumption, which briefly led to a group of mushroom enthusiasts claiming that the fly agaric was edible, something that Populär Historia has written about. During the 1970s, the mushroom began to acquire its bad reputation after new knowledge about mushroom species began to take shape.
Poses a risk
Muscimol is a psychoactive substance that can produce sedative and hallucinogenic effects, and today the substance is often promoted by so-called alternative health groups as a remedy for sleep disorders, among other things. So-called retreats are even organized where participants ingest the mushroom in ceremonial settings.
Now the Swedish Public Health Agency wants to classify the substance as narcotics. According to the agency, the substance is currently available for purchase as candy and in e-cigarettes through various online stores, and they emphasize that the mushroom is poisonous and that people are exposing themselves to risk. In addition to relatively common symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, and hallucinations, there are reports of people falling into comas after taking the preparation.
— It has properties that pose a danger to people's lives and health and which can be assumed to be used for the purpose of achieving intoxication, said Adli Assali, head of unit at the Swedish Public Health Agency, to P3 Nyheter.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned trade in muscimol at the end of last year. This summer, the Swedish Public Health Agency initiated its own investigation following a request from the Swedish Customs Service (Tullverket), which had seized the substance at border controls. The Swedish government will now decide whether the substance should be classified as narcotics in Sweden.
