Case Keusote

Guidelines for the future from the AI roadmap – From isolated experiments to systematic use of artificial intelligence

The challenge

The rapid development and widespread adoption of artificial intelligence across industries is putting pressure on all organisations to keep up with the wave of innovation. In spring 2024, the use of AI in the Wellbeing Services County of Central Uusimaa (Keusote) was still in its early stages, and the need for a clear plan at both strategic and operational levels was obvious.

In social and healthcare services, several different opportunities for applying AI had been identified, but there was no clear approach for assessing their suitability, effectiveness, and productivity. The county’s executive team concluded that an AI roadmap was needed to clarify the situation.

The solution

We helped Keusote’s executive team quickly establish a shared understanding, vision, and concrete plan for the adoption and large-scale utilisation of AI. The AI roadmap was prepared together with the entire executive team, as AI impacts the entire organisation and therefore requires broad commitment, development of operating models, as well as strengthening of competence.

The process included mapping the current state, setting the target state and AI vision, and creating a concrete development plan. The end result was an AI roadmap for 2025–2029 with clearly defined steps.

The results

Keusote’s AI roadmap clarified the role of AI in the wellbeing county’s service production. It took into account customer, staff, and regulatory perspectives and helped Keusote launch its AI journey for 2025–2029. Clear frameworks and actions will help ensure Keusote remains engaged in the development of AI and AI technologies.

Thanks to the AI roadmap work, Keusote now has a concrete plan for adopting several AI solutions, developing competence, and utilising technology platforms. Above all, it contains development measures that support the effective implementation of AI. The AI vision is set for 2029, and because AI is developing at an accelerating pace, the plan prepared in autumn 2024 will be refined continuously. It will also be updated systematically to ensure that it remains current.

The Wellbeing Services County of Central Uusimaa (Keusote) is responsible for providing social and healthcare services, as well as rescue services and specialised medical care, to residents in its area. Keusote had recognised the potential of AI for improving wellbeing county operations and services, and some small-scale experiments had already been carried out. However, the use cases were scattered, and there was no overall picture of AI utilisation.

To harness the potential of AI, Keusote recognised the need to strategically explore its possibilities: How can wellbeing county services be developed, and what role does AI play in that development? The solution was a jointly developed AI roadmap with clear guidelines and concrete steps to better integrate AI into wellbeing county operations. The roadmap helps Keusote move from isolated experiments toward systematic and impactful AI utilisation.

A common direction and concrete steps

The AI roadmap definition process was conducted at a brisk pace in autumn 2024. In total, the work took three months from the initial meeting to the completed result. The project shows that it is possible to create a practical plan for a wide target group in a short period of time.

The AI roadmap began with initial discussions to define the participants, the scope of work, and its key themes. It was recognised early on that the AI roadmap is not merely an IT project, as AI affects all wellbeing county services, residents, and employees. For this reason, the entire executive team had to be involved from the start.

Collaboration, full commitment from leadership, and a growing shared understanding proved to be among the most important keys to the project’s success.

“AI is not just about technology, every member of the executive team and board must understand AI’s strategic opportunities, but also its risks,” says Sofigate’s AI strategist Timo Savolainen.

At the outset, we carried out a current-state analysis, which provided valuable insights into Keusote’s AI-related development needs. The areas examined included skills, data, technology architecture, and information security and data protection, all crucial for implementing AI solutions.

“The current-state analysis gave us a good picture of what new capabilities the adoption of AI requires, the current state of those capabilities, and which areas need to be strengthened to enable successful AI implementation,” says Sofigate expert Krista Korpela.

The AI roadmap was created through facilitated executive team workshops and online collaboration via the Howspace platform. These regular and well-facilitated workshops were another key pillar of the project’s success.

The outcome was an AI roadmap tailored to Keusote’s needs and meeting its expectations. We are a trusted partner in building AI roadmaps and visions. Keusote especially appreciated our ability to combine AI expertise with an understanding of the organisation’s and the social and healthcare sector’s needs and specific characteristics.

“With Sofigate’s guidance, we achieved a shared understanding of the AI landscape, which formed the basis for a concrete and impactful roadmap. We were challenged in just the right way, which helped clarify our goals and priorities.”

Antti Ylä-Jarkko
Chief Digital and Information Officer, Wellbeing Services County of Central Uusimaa

Embedding AI into the daily work of the wellbeing services county

The roadmap, which will guide AI activities through 2029, defined clear objectives for the coming years, set metrics, and assigned responsibilities to ensure that AI becomes part of everyday operations. Concrete actions included establishing an AI team, implementing selected AI solutions, and developing capabilities that support AI adoption.

Keusote’s AI roadmap shows that leveraging AI requires a clear direction, strategic leadership, and the courage to experiment. The best results come when one does not adhere too rigidly to traditional thinking, but remains flexible and ready to change direction when needed.

“The AI roadmap is an important guide, but real change is driven by people, systematic leadership, and the ability to seize new opportunities with an open mind,” Krista Korpela and Timo Savolainen summarise.

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