Former Icelandic minister joins Fenris Creations to lead AI partnerships

• The initiative will involve AI labs, universities, policymakers and strategic partners.
• The research will study how autonomous agents make decisions and adapt over extended periods.
• Fenris' partnership with Google DeepMind forms part of the foundation for the research.

Fenris Creations has appointed former Icelandic minister Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir as senior director for AI partnerships to lead a new research initiative focused on autonomous AI systems in Eve Frontier. 

Sigurbjörnsdóttir will work with AI laboratories, universities, policymakers and strategic partners to study how autonomous agents set objectives, adapt to changing conditions and make decisions over extended periods.

She previously served as Iceland's Minister of Justice from 2019 and became Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation in 2021, a position she held until December 2024. She resigned from parliament in June after taking leave to attend Columbia University.

“When I left politics, I said I wanted to contribute to the changes AI is bringing," said Sigurbjörnsdóttir. "Having seen how policy is made and implemented, I know how badly decision-makers need evidence about how these systems actually behave, and this is where that evidence can be produced. I look forward to helping Fenris take the work forward responsibly.”

AI research

Sigurbjörnsdóttir said Eve Frontier provides a particularly suitable environment for studying autonomous AI because its persistent, single-shard universe features one economy and social graph, with actions having lasting consequences.

The research will also examine how autonomous agents respond to judgement, negotiation and intent, including how these skills could develop through repeated interactions with humans and other agents.

Fenris' initiative builds on its partnership with Google DeepMind, established following a management buyout of Fenris, formerly known as CCP. 

Sigurbjörnsdóttir said she had spent time with Fenris and Google DeepMind teams discussing future collaboration, while emphasising that her remit extends beyond any single partner.

She added that discussions have already begun with other frontier AI laboratories, academic researchers, AI safety institutes and regulators, with plans to open the research initiative more widely in the coming months.