That’s a wrap for ARCH 2026!
A big thank you to everyone who joined us, contributed, shared ideas, and helped make this year’s event special. We already look forward to welcoming you to ARCH Hub 2027!
ARCH Hub 2026
Join the AI & Robotics conversation
How do you create value
with AI in 2026?
20 speakers · 9 talks · 1000 questions
ARCH is the one-day AI & Robotics Conversation Hub for sharing what’s working, what’s not, and what’s next. Expect real use cases, leadership perspectives, and practical conversations about how to create value. Explore the agenda
The AI-washing stops here
ARCH is built for useful disagreement. On stage, we’ll bring an interactive format featuring conversations with experts across nine relevant themes. Perspectives will be shared, assumptions challenged, tensions explored, and the harder questions given the space they deserve. That’s how we move the discussion forward.
Join the AI & Robotics Conversation
13 May 2026 · Vippa · Oslo
Tickets include full-day access and food and drink credit at Vippa.
Limited seats. Get your ticket.
Tickets
Speakers ready to take your questions
Øyvind Dale SpøckChief AI Officer, Antire | Event Host & Speaker
Øyvind Spørck is Chief AI Officer at Antire, where he oversees the company's AI and machine learning strategy. With 15+ years in consulting spanning strategy and technology, he has led AI and ML projects from concept through production, with a consistent focus on measurable business outcomes rather than technology for its own sake. Øyvind holds an MSc in Data Science from Harvard University and has co-authored research on deep learning for financial prediction at MIT Sloan School of Management. At Antire, he works alongside the company's specialists to help clients turn their data into AI-driven value creation.
Discussion 3: What the research tells us
11.30 - 12.00
Framing question: Are Norwegian organizations as far along on AI as they think they are?
Lídice Nahomi GonzálezDirector of Training & Cooperation, ANIA - The National Agency for Artificial Intelligence of El Salvador
Lídice Nahomi González is Director of Training and Cooperation at El Salvador's National AI Agency (ANIA). She has been instrumental in the institutional design and formalization of the agency, translating a national AI vision into a functioning governance structure.
With over 15 years of experience in public policy, strategic analysis, and education, she has served at the Presidency of the Republic, contributing to evidence-based policy design, strategic investment projects, and public-private initiatives aligned with national development priorities.
Her work is guided by a belief that human capital is El Salvador's most important asset for development. Through ANIA, she is channelling that commitment into training ecosystems, education programs, and cooperative frameworks designed to ensure that Salvadorans are prepared to shape not just benefit from the AI era.
Discussion 8: Trust, legitimacy, and public adoption
15.15 - 15.45
Framing question: What makes AI legitimate in society, not just legal in compliance?
Ragnar HarperHead of Technology, AWS Norway
Discussion 6: Humans in the loop, or humans in the way
13.45 - 14.15
Framing question: When does “human in the loop” create trust, and when does it kill value?
Christopher FrenningNational Technology Officer, Microsoft
Christopher's background is in computer science, with 20+ years of experience in the IT industry, including 7 years at Microsoft. He's optimistic and enthusiastic about the future with AI and Cloud, and works with influencers and policymakers on how we can use this in an ethical, secure, and sustainable way. Outside business hours he bakes sourdough bread for his hungry family of five, brews coffee, services more than rides his bikes, and researches Explainable AI at the University of Oslo (Analytical Systems and Reasoning research group).
Discussion 1: Pilots vs production
10.30 - 11.00
Framing question: Why do some AI pilots scale fast, while others quietly stall?
Stein H DanielsenCo-Founder & Chief Solutions Officer, Cognite AS
Stein Danielsen is responsible for disruptive solutions in Cognite, built on top of the Cognite base technology including ground-breaking AI and robotics solutions. Over the last 30 years, Stein has worked for a number of companies, including Cognite, cXense, Scala Computer Television, Fast Search & Transfer and Microsoft. His multi-faceted experience in the software industry has taken him from search, real-time systems, and 3D graphics to large-scale data, AI and transaction systems, with patents in these areas. He holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Science specializing in AI from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
Discussion 7: Robotics reality check
14.45 - 15.15
Framing question: Are we underbuilding robotics in Norway, or are we overhyping what it can do right now?
Silvija SeresAI Expert and Strategic Advisor
Silvija Seres is an AI expert and strategic advisor with a background from Oxford and Silicon Valley. Her career spans search and software innovation, with experience from AltaVista, FAST Search & Transfer, and Microsoft. Today she supports leadership teams in turning AI into clear priorities, responsible governance, and measurable outcomes. She is also an active investor and board professional, bringing a practical perspective on how technology shapes business and society.
Discussion 6: Humans in the loop, or humans in the way
13.45 - 14.15
Framing question: When does “human in the loop” create trust, and when does it kill value?
Wilfred ØstgulenCIO, National Library of Norway
Wilfred Østgulen is the IT Director at the National Library of Norway and is also responsible for developing national language models for Norwegian and Sami. He has 30 years of experience in development, organization, governance, and management in the IT field, across the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence, Aetat/NAV, Altinn, Sykehuspartner in Helse Sør-Øst, the police, and Accenture. Wilfred has worked at the National Library since autumn 2021 and holds a Cand. Scient. degree in Computer Science from the University of Oslo, earned in 1993.
Discussion 1: Pilots vs production
10.30 - 11.00
Framing question: Why do some AI pilots scale fast, while others quietly stall?
Anne Ruth GjerstadDirector of Corporate Solutions, Posten Bring AS
Anne Ruth has over 30 years of experience in IT and enterprise systems across both public and private sectors. She is a passionate leader, currently driving modernization and development of business solutions with a focus on driving innovation and keeping Posten Bring at the forefront of technological advancement. Recognized as one of Norway's top 50 tech women, she is known for her energetic leadership, her ability to build collaboration across cultures and organizational levels, and her belief that true innovation happens when we break down silos and harness the collective power of working together.
Discussion 2: Data as the bottleneck
11.00 - 11.30
Framing question: Is “data readiness” still the real blocker, or is that just an excuse now?
Jan Robert HeibergGroup Category Manager, Posten Bring AS
Discussion 2: Data as the bottleneck
11.00 - 11.30
Framing question: Is “data readiness” still the real blocker, or is that just an excuse now?
Audun HoffPrincipal Cloud Architect, Oracle
Discussion 2: Data as the bottleneck
11.00 - 11.30
Framing question: Is “data readiness” still the real blocker, or is that just an excuse now?
Geir Inge StokkeCEO, The Norwegian Road Federation
Geir Inge Stokke is the Chief Executive Officer of the The Norwegian Road Federation (OFV). He has extensive leadership experience from Norwegian business, including 7.5 years as Group CEO of Coop Norge, and holds several board positions, including with Vy Group and Amnesty International Norway.
Discussion 3: What the research tells us
11.30 - 12.00
Framing question: Are Norwegian organizations as far along on AI as they think they are?
Anne Lisæth SchøyenDeputy Director IT Development, The Norwegian Offshore Directorate
Anne Lisæth Schøyen is an executive with more than 25 years of experience in strategic leadership, digital transformation, and organizational change across public and private sectors. She has held senior executive roles in the oil and gas industry, public finance, logistics and Supply chain and academia, recognized for strong delivery capability, clear leadership, and the ability to translate strategy into tangible results. She currently serves as Director of IT Development at the Norwegian Offshore Directorate, responsible for the digital development portfolio and the revision of its IT and AI strategy.
Discussion 3: What the research tells us
11.30 - 12.00
Framing question: Are Norwegian organizations as far along on AI as they think they are?
Svein KvernstuenChief Commercial Officer, Remotion
Discussion 4: From robots to workflows
12.45 - 13.15
Framing question: How do you move from impressive robotic capabilities to real operational workflows that teams can trust, integrate, and scale?
Mathias NedrebøCTO, Six Robotics
Mathias Nedrebø is the Chief Technology Officer at Six Robotics, a Norwegian defence tech company that develops advanced autonomy software that enables unmanned systems to act as intelligent teams. Mathias holds an MSc in mathematics from NTNU and has previous experience from Zivid and ReMarkable.
Discussion 4: From robots to workflows
12.45 - 13.15
Framing question: How do you move from impressive robotic capabilities to real operational workflows that teams can trust, integrate, and scale?
Kjell Erik HoflandSVP IT, Höegh Evi
Discussion 5: Measuring value without lying to yourself
13.15 - 13.45
Framing question: How do you prove AI is creating real business value once you factor in security, governance, and production-grade complexity?
Mia NormanVP of Engineering, Wheel.me
Mia Norman is a technology leader at wheel.me, where she leads the development of robotics systems across hardware, embedded, and cloud. She is driving the delivery of the world’s first autonomous wheel, enabling everyday equipment to become intelligent, mobile robots.
With 20+ years of experience from development leadership roles at TOMRA, she has extensive experience leading cross-functional teams and scaling complex technology for global markets.Driven by curiosity and a belief in technology as a force for good, Mia is passionate about how collaboration, creativity, and engineering come together to create real-world impact.
Discussion 7: Robotics reality check
14.45 - 15.15
Framing question: Are we underbuilding robotics in Norway, or are we overhyping what it can do right now?
Gard ThomassenIT Director, University of Oslo
Gard Thomassen is IT Director at the University of Oslo, leading around 350 people delivering IT services locally, nationally and internationally. With a PhD in bioinformatics from UiO, he has since 2012 led the build of TSD, Norway's national platform for sensitive research data, now used by over 10,000 researchers across 80+ organizations. He also leads Norwegian AI Cloud (NAIC) and will head the launch of NORTRE, Norway's national trusted research environment.
Discussion 9: Norway’s tech competitiveness
15.45 - 16.15
Framing question: What is the Norway playbook for AI + robotics, and how do we close the skills gap fast enough to win in 2026?
Gaute LienCEO, Sicra AS
Gaute Lien is a senior security business executive with over 25 years of experience. As the next CEO in Sicra, he will be leveraging his extensive expertise in strategic cybersecurity leadership and solutions. In his previous roles, including Partner at PwC Norway and Managing Director at Accenture Security he has contributed to growth and maturity of cybersecurity practices across Nordic and European markets.
Collaborating with deep technical cross-border teams, he has managed the development of scalable and industrialized security solutions with robust governance and risk management for a multiple of large-scale digital transformations. He usually combines his Mathematics degree and chess play interest with a commitment to innovation and people adventure - always with a mindset to create measurable customer value.
Discussion 5: Measuring value without lying to yourself
13.15 - 13.45
Framing question: How do you prove AI is creating real business value once you factor in security, governance, and production-grade complexity?
Jonas Neraal JakobsenHead of Customer Experience, AutoStore
Jonas has been running the global Solutions team at AutoStore since 2020, driving design and simulations of AutoStore systems, converting operational data into trustworthy solutions for customers across industries and regions. As of January 2026, he has taken on driving a Customer Experience evolution at AutoStore. In addition he's a vibe-coder and AI-enthusiast on a personal level.
Discussion 4: From robots to workflows
12.45 - 13.15
Framing question: How do you move from impressive robotic capabilities to real operational workflows that teams can trust, integrate, and scale?
Andreas MollattCo-Founder, Physical Robotics AS
Discussion 7: Robotics reality check
14.45 - 15.15
Framing question: Are we underbuilding robotics in Norway, or are we overhyping what it can do right now?
ARCH Fellowship2026 Cohort
The Antire ARCH Fellowship is a selective accelerator program for aspiring forward-deployed AI engineers. It consists of an intensive period of learning, collaboration and hands-on work on applied AI. The 2026 cohort is made up of eight ambitious students and young professionals with impressive educational backgrounds and a hunger to learn and develop. Get to know the ARCH Fellows better here.
Discussion 9: Norway’s tech competitiveness
15.45 - 16.15
Framing question: What is the Norway playbook for AI + robotics, and how do we close the skills gap fast enough to win in 2026?
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WHO ATTENDS
400+ attendees, including:
- Business leaders and product owners aiming to turn AI into real workflows and measurable value
- Public sector leaders shaping adoption, trust, and governance.
- Researchers, founders, and investors tracking what’s next.
Vippa
Akershusstranda 25 0150 Oslo Norway
VENUE: VIPPA
Set right on the Oslofjord at the edge of Vippetangen, Vippa is a vibrant food hall with a warm, social buzz, industrial character, colourful details, and plenty of space to settle in and connect. There is fresh sea air just outside for a quick reset between sessions.
FOOD & DRINK (INCLUDED IN YOUR TICKET)
Your ticket includes food and drink credit, so you can choose what you’re in the mood for from Vippa’s street-food stalls and drinks offering.
GETTING THERE
Vippa is at Akershusstranda 25, Vippetangen. It’s an easy waterfront walk past Akershus fortress, or a short ride by public transport to Vippetangen with a quick walk at the end.
Tickets
MEET THE ARCH 2026 FELLOWSHIP COHORT ON STAGE
The ARCH Fellowship is a selective accelerator for forward-deployed AI engineers, built to close the gap between theory and real-world delivery. Through intensive learning, collaboration, and hands-on work with applied AI, Fellows work on real customer problems, experiment, deploy, and create measurable impact.
At ARCH Hub, the 2026 cohort graduates on stage, showcasing their work and connecting with leading minds across AI and robotics. Read more
TECHBAR TAKEOVER
After 17.00, ARCH is taken over by TechBar! TechBar is your go-to hangout for connecting with Norway’s tech community. It’s a relaxed space to meet people, swap ideas, and spark new collaborations. Come for the conversations, stay for the vibe, and leave with a bigger network (and probably a few new plans). This is a separate event, free of charge, but it requires registration. You can sign up here.
