News
Showcasing AI-DOC
AI-DOC Doctoral Pilot in Focus at Education Technology Conferences in Japan
As a part of the technical committee, Lauri Valtonen delivered an invited speech at the joint 14th International Conference on Information and Education Technology (IEEE-ICIET) and 3rd International Conference on Innovative Education and Learning Resources (IELR 2026), held in Koriyama, Japan, April 17–19, 2026.
AI's growing role as both an educational technology and a learning resource was a prominent theme throughout the conference, visible across papers and presentations alike.
Valtonen's talk drew on experiences from the AI-DOC doctoral pilot programme, highlighting a striking paradox: while industry reports consistently call for more AI-skilled employees and express ambitions to expand their use of AI, doctoral researchers in the programme report a widespread sense that industry shows little genuine interest in the expertise they are developing.
Drawing on his research background in organization studies and futures innovation education, Valtonen explored potential explanations for this disconnect. He concluded that the discouragement felt by emerging experts amid the current AI hype is likely not a simple pessimism. Rather, it may be an expression of the hype itself – a dynamic in which deep technical expertise and critical scrutiny of AI can feel threatening to the more comfortable narratives of AI promise.
AI-DOC management training
Demystifying corporate program management
On 17 April, we hosted Nokia System Product Manager Rajesh Kumar S for a full-day session on “Demystifying Corporate Project Management.” The intensive training covered portfolio, product, and program management, and Rajesh shared practical career tips for navigating corporate R&D and product roles.
AI-DOC program in media
AI-DOC connects companies and public services with future AI experts
AI-DOC offers companies and public services an opportunity to collaborate with cutting edge AI research on different levels. For example the City of Espoo and ABB are partnering with AI-DOC. You can read more about their experiences here.
Highlights from projects
The relationship between language models and data quality
AI-DOC student Amanda Myntti wrote a commentary about how quality and characteristics of large text datasets can be analyzed and how those properties influence large language models. You can read Amanda's text here (only in Finnish).
AI-DOC Research Seminar 2025
AI-DOC Annual Research Seminar 2025 Recap
In November 2025, the AI-DOC Annual Research Seminar took place at Otaniemi, offering valuable sessions on machine learning and AI topics. Networking with peers was an important part of the week, allowing participants to connect and exchange ideas.
The seminar week began with a hands-on workshop on reproducibility and open-science practices. Expert talks followed, addressing AI's ethical challenges and legal aspects.
The events were coordinated with AI Day, providing an opportunity to participate in that event on Thursday. The week culminated in an engaging Research Seminar where Professor Laura Ruotsalainen discussed sustainable AI. All AI-DOC students also presented their work through poster sessions, and the PhD Journey session on mobility provided valuable insights into peer experiences.
Explore our event photos below to see snapshots from these insightful sessions!
Aalto Inventors Innovation Training Program
Aalto Inventors Innovation Training Program for AI-DOC Researchers
In the fall of 2025, the Aalto Inventors Innovation Training Program opened its doors to AI-DOC researchers, offering a first experience in innovation designed to transform scientific breakthroughs into real-world impact.
The program featured 8 training sessions held on the Aalto campus in Espoo, from October to January, culminating in a graduation event.
Participants learned from industry and academic leaders, receiving hands-on training in communication, funding opportunities, intellectual property, and business thinking. The program aimed to enhance skills for future careers, offering mentorship across academia, industry, and law, and expanding participants' networks.
The training was well-received, and the program also fosters long-term connections through its Inventors alumni network.
We look forward to continuing our support for innovation within the AI-DOC network.
AI-DOC received Aalto Research Impact Award
In the ceremony, AI-DOC was represented by Arno Solin, Sanna-Maija Kiviranta, and Kaisa Pekkala.
The Finnish Doctoral Program Network in Artificial Intelligence (AI-DOC) received this year's Aalto University Research Impact Award along with two other doctoral pilots (CIMANET and QDOC) and ELLIS Institute Finland.
All four still have a lot of work ahead in ensuring even more impact, but this is a great recognition of the work this far.
What makes us find AI creative?
Industry Connect
IndustryConnect: Matchmaking in AI and Software Engineering Doctoral Research Pilots
On May 12th, 2025, doctoral researchers, professors, and industry leaders gathered at Clarion Hotel near Helsinki Airport for an enriching afternoon designed to foster collaboration and enhance transitions from academia to industry. Organized in partnership with Technology Industries of Finland, the event targeted doctoral pilots in Artificial Intelligence (AI-DOC) and Software Engineering.
Participants enjoyed a networking lunch followed by sessions where PhD candidates met with industry representatives, discussing research topics and exploring collaboration opportunities. The event featured presentations from Leena Pöntynen and Iida Lähdemäki, providing insights into the Finnish job market and AI initiatives. Jarkko Pellikka from Nokia delivered a keynote speech that inspired participants as they moved into matchmaking sessions. The afternoon closed with open networking, allowing for further connections among attendees.
Photos: Sanna-Maija Kiviranta / Aalto University
AI-DOC launch
The official launch event of the AI-DOC program was held in February 2025. The event took place at Aalto University and brought together over 100 participants across Finland.
Photos: Margot Lepetit / Aalto University
Pre-launch
The pre-launch event was organized together with FCAI’s community event and pre-NeurIPS fest in November 2024.
AI-DOC recruitment calls
The first AI-DOC call was organized in spring 2024, followed by the second call in autumn 2024. Altogether 100 new PhD students were recruited to work in fundamental AI and machine learning research and in five application areas.
Doctoral pilot launching
Finland’s Ministry of Education and Culture has announced the allocation of 255 million EUR to universities for piloting new practices in doctoral education for three years starting in 2024. The proposal from the Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence flagship, "Finnish Doctoral Program Network in Artificial Intelligence", was granted 100 new doctoral positions (25.5 million EUR). The national consortium across 10 universities will educate 100 new PhDs in artificial intelligence research.