Artificial intelligence center for the village? A village where energy would be free for all residents? Futurist researcher Ilkka Halava shared her views on the future of the villages when the steering group of the Kylille project met to plan the continuation of the project. In addition, Halava listed seven things that make up the vitality of villages.
There are about a dozen senior futurists in Finland, and they are often involved when plans are made. Ilkka Halava is one of them. Halava has cooperated with 1,600 work communities. Futurists enable proactive planning and are able to identify new opportunities for economic development and diversification and bring innovative solutions to development work. The future of the villages is examined in this text through a few key perspectives.
Technology development
No one knows how fast technological development will change the world in the next five years. February 2023 will go down in history, because that's when artificial intelligence applications became known. In April, artificial intelligence created a cancer drug, removing one cancer from the serious list. Halava, a futurist, emphasizes that we are only in the warm-up phase and that artificial intelligence will have a significant impact on people's productivity.
- In the past, peer-reviewed studies built a common understanding piece by piece. Artificial intelligence, on the other hand, utilizes massive amounts of data and gives quick answers to people's questions.
Halava urges us to consider whether, for example, Leader funding could be used to build an AI hub. AI-hub is a center for artificial intelligence expertise, research and development, which offers resources and cooperation opportunities to promote artificial intelligence in various fields.
- Is it built into us to think that someone in the city will try it and then tell us what works? This period raises the question, is there some kind of concentration of artificial intelligence applications in Helsinki or Tampere or Kurika or Kauhajoki? Where do we think it belongs?
-The answer determines whether something is being pursued or not. It's easy to think that you can't do it in big cities, even though there's no reason for that.
Energy in the future
When thinking about the future of villages, one big question is whether energy is still a priced commodity that everyone pays for themselves. Can technology aim to have 0-cost-of-living villages in the future, where it is possible to produce energy that is given to the municipalities? If energy were part of the infrastructure, the cost of living would collapse when moving to the village.
Energy could be produced with wind and solar power and geothermal energy. In addition, there could be indoor cultivation, and food production would be built in such a way that it would cost almost nothing.
-There are many solar energy parks in Southern Ostrobothnia. Small villages could very well do it.
-If the structure were suddenly such that you wouldn't have to focus on doing basic work to cover living expenses, but could focus on doing what really interests you, Halava reflects.
Fix the basics in the villages
According to Halava, villages should basically organize meetings. Villages are certain types of event producers and organizers. Living in villages has many advantages: in the countryside, everyone knows each other and knows the services of the area and where to find everything.
Halava says that the vitality of the villages consists of a seven-point productivity structure.
1. In villages, it is important that all residents are involved in social networks, that work can be divided and cooperated with others.
2. In the villages, sociability is built online and then the resident can decide for himself when to participate and what. In the villages, maybe you dream of being in peace and being able to do what you want and look how you want - and decide yourself when it will be visible to others.
3. There are many agreements and models in cities, for example certain operating methods in gyms. The villages don't necessarily have contracts ready, but things have to be created for the villages that represent us and community in one way or another. Garbage collection day, joint soccer match, sauna evening - let's create something that wouldn't exist naturally. A village with a lot of these is really attractive.
4. There should be a market place in the village where you can trade and exchange things. A social group or a cleaning day can be like that.
5. The village should be identified geographically. The village should be a place where you can come and go freely, but you should know because you are in the village. Is there a landmark in your village?
6. The city produces a lot of stimuli that you can take a stand on, participate in events, etc. The village can build certain places for stimuli, for example the village hall and the network. The number of stimuli remains under control and can be found by the residents. In Halava's opinion, every village should also have an indoor market, so that even in winter there would be a place where you could meet others.
7. Resource concentration - villages should be able to collect the things found in the village for everyone to know. Is information about rented and borrowed goods available to everyone?
It is important to think about how to build such a village environment where all these things happen. The next level of development can start when these seven things are in order. In addition, primus engine people are needed to move things forward. They are the people who make decisions and set out to build things.
The planning of the next Kylä project continues in the South Ostrobothnia Leader groups. The project will be applied for in autumn 2023, when ELY's funding applications have opened.