
According to a national Finnish survey conducted in November-December 2024 by doctoral researcher Jarmo Pulkkinen from Web Fellows, artificial intelligence offers significant opportunities for developing public social and healthcare services. AI can streamline routine tasks, free up professionals’ time for essential client work, and improve service accessibility.
However, AI utilization in wellbeing services countries is still in its early stages, with various challenges slowing down practical implementations. The recent study shows that AI implementation challenges in wellbeing services counties, HUS Group, and the City of Helsinki form a complex interconnected system.
The research surveyed experts’ views on 46 technology, organizational operations, and the operating environment challenges. The majority of these challenges were rated as either significant or highly significant.
”Organizational challenges like lack of competence and funding, technical challenges such as information security and privacy, and operational environment challenges like legislative interpretations are tightly interlinked. This makes AI development work particularly demanding,” explains Jarmo Pulkkinen, who conducted the study.
Most and least significant challenges in healthcare, according to the study:
1. Financial resources
2. Technical AI expertise in healthcare organizations
3. Availability of AI specialists in healthcare organizations
4. Procurement expertise in AI solutions
5. Staff time allocation for AI implementation and training
6. Change management in processes and projects
…
41. Trust in cloud-based AI solutions
42. Citizens’ readiness to utilize AI-based solutions
43. AI solutions’ suitability for the public healthcare sector
44. Awareness of available AI solutions and applications in the market
45. AI solutions’ applicability to various client and patient situations
46. Availability or sufficiency of digital data (e.g., patient or client records)
The online survey included 82 experts from 17 different wellbeing services counties, HUS, and the City of Helsinki. It also included experts from system providers, service providers, and research institutions.
Encouragingly, experts already participating in AI projects assessed the challenges as less significant than other respondents.

Staff Participation in Pilot Projects is Essential
”Our research shows that these challenges can be solved through systematic development work, pilots, and collaboration,” Pulkkinen states.
Nationally, more explicit regulatory interpretations, funding, and more muscular coordination between wellbeing services counties are needed. Healthcare organizations must invest in competence development, ensure sufficient financial resources for development work, and improve change management. For employees, it is crucial to participate in pilot projects and strengthen basic digital skills.
Based on open-ended responses to the survey, AI can significantly enhance healthcare professionals’ work, increase job satisfaction, and deliver better services to citizens. AI technologies can accelerate patient record processing, support treatment decisions, and help predict service needs. This frees up professionals’ time for what matters most – client work.
”Nationally, we are just beginning our AI utilization journey. Our research shows that development work should be done systematically and in collaboration between different actors. If we succeed in solving these identified challenges, AI can significantly improve the quality and efficiency of public healthcare services,” Pulkkinen assesses.
Three researchers will produce a scientific article based on the material in 2025.
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More information:
Jarmo Pulkkinen
Doctoral researcher (MSc. Admin)
Web Fellows
jarmo.pulkkinen@webfellows.fi