ASTIN Conference

Language Technologies in the Nordic Countries 2026

November 10–11, 2026, Helsinki, Finland

[Programme] | [Registration]

Organizers:  

Department of Digital Humanities, University of Helsinki
ASTIN – Arbetsgruppen för språkteknologi i Norden

Location:  

Clarion Hotel Helsinki (address: Tyynenmerenkatu 2, Helsinki)

Introduction

In the light of the present security situation in Europe, the need for digital autonomy has become significantly more pronounced. Recent Nordic initiatives in language technology and artificial intelligence thus become all the more important and must be highlighted and continued. We must also ensure that the new solutions enabled by these technologies, are available in all languages in the Nordic region.

There is great potential for Nordic cooperation, across borders as well as across languages. To exploit this potential, we need to gather our resources and strengthen joint efforts in developing language technology for the Nordic languages.

For majority languages, this may involve joining forces to create large language models for the Nordic languages. For minority languages that often lack the data needed to train such models, we must consider developing language technology by alternative methods, typically in the absence of strong commercial incentives.

This conference addresses the challenges and opportunities that the technological development brings to the Nordic language community. It brings together key players from research and development and from language policies, including politicians, the Nordic language banks, language committees, language technology companies, public authorities, media representatives and language communities.

The programme is organised around four themes:

1. Small languages and large models
Is it possible to develop large-scale language models for small languages? If not, what alternatives exist?
2. Data, data, data
How do we find data? And what legal tangles need to be solved for us to use them?
3. The user perspective: from model to use.
Reliability and quality: How do language models affect society and language use? How can they be evaluated and tested? How can we address the implementation gap?
4. Nordic collaboration and strategic autonomy
How should we collaborate in the Nordic region to develop safe language models for our languages and ensure national and regional sovereignty? What role could an exit strategy play?

The conference is organized by the University of Helsinki and ASTIN (the Working Group for Language Technology in the Nordic Region). It aims to include all Nordic languages and language communities in the ongoing efforts in language technology in the Nordic countries. The presentations will be held in Scandinavian languages and English.

Registration

The conference is organized by the University of Helsinki and ASTIN (the Working Group for Language Technology in the Nordic Region). It aims to include all Nordic languages and language communities in the ongoing efforts in language technology in the Nordic countries. The presentations will be held in Scandinavian languages and English.

 

Contact the organizers for further details:

University of Helsinki
Krister Lindén (krister.linden(at)helsinki.fi)
Wilhelmina Dyster (wilhelmina.dyster(at)helsinki.fi)

ASTIN
Kristine Eide (Kristine.Eide(at)sprakradet.no)
Steinþór Steingrímsson (steinthor.steingrimsson(at)arnastofnun.is)
Charlotta af Hällström-Reijonen (charlotta.afhallstrom-reijonen(at)sprakinstitutet.fi)
Sjur Nørstebø Moshagen (sjur.n.moshagen(at)uit.no)
Rickard Domeij (rickard.domeij(at)isof.se)

 

 

Last modified on 2026-06-30