ITU researchers secure NordForsk grant to investigate responsible AI in design
Two researchers from the IT University of Copenhagen are investigating how AI is transforming the way we design digital services – and how we can ensure that this transformation is responsible.
Written 3 March, 2026 14:22 by Jari Kickbusch
AI promises to improve efficiency and productivity, but it also raises important questions. What happens when machines begin to replace human judgment in design? How do we ensure that AI-generated products are usable, inclusive, and fair? What new skills will designers need in the age of AI – and how should we train the next generation?
RAID (Responsible AI in Interaction Design Practice) is a Nordic research collaboration that investigates how AI is transforming the way we design digital services – and how we can ensure that this transformation is responsible, ethical, and aligned with the needs of society. The project brings together leading researchers in Human–Computer Interaction and Human–Centred AI from five universities: University of Bergen (Norway), Aarhus University and the IT University of Copenhagen (Denmark), University of Gothenburg (Sweden), and Tampere University (Finland).
The three-year project received 16.3 million NOK from NordForsk, an organisation under the Nordic Council of Ministers. RAID was one of just 17 projects selected from 200 applications.
Who decides what and how?
One of the RAID researchers is a postdoc at the IT University of Copenhagen, Willem van der Maden. His contribution to the project will focus on understanding current and emerging design practices involving generative AI tools, including how designers navigate barriers to adoption and comply with new regulations such as the EU AI Act.
"I will investigate how designers are integrating AI into their workflows, what challenges they face, and how emerging regulations shape their decisions," says van der Maden. "We need empirically grounded insights to make sure academic research addresses the real needs of practitioners. AI is no longer an experimental technology studied in labs. It’s being used right now by designers who shape the digital services we all depend on. If that changes how they work, it changes what we all end up using. We need to understand those effects and learn to steer them responsibly."
Willem van der Maden’s collaborator, Professor Jichen Zhu, will contribute to the project with her expertise in human–AI interaction and user experience (UX) education. She is a key contributor to the project’s work on understanding current design practices and on responsible AI in design education.
"As AI plays an increasingly critical role in different aspects of everyday life, it is essential that we educate designers who can translate human needs and ethics into new generations of AI products," she says.
Nordic approach
By combining insights across borders and disciplines, RAID contributes to a uniquely Nordic approach to AI in design – one that values transparency, human oversight, and public trust. The project supports the Nordic region's continued leadership in digital innovation while ensuring that AI-enhanced services remain grounded in democratic values and everyday human experience.
"Social media taught us what happens when we only study the effects of a technology after it's already embedded in society. The Nordic countries are digitalizing fast, and AI is increasingly part of how that's done. We have a chance to get ahead of the curve this time," says Willem van der Maden.
You can learn more about the RAID (Responsible AI in Interaction Design Practice) on NordForsk's webpage.
Jari Kickbusch, phone 7218 5304, email jark@itu.dk