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Aalto University, Sitra and Lovable are launching the AI Summer Program, a new initiative that pairs university students with Finnish public sector organisations to design, prototype and build real digital services using AI tools, and to turn what they learn into a playbook the rest of the public sector can use.

Public sector organisations are increasingly expected to deliver clearer, more usable digital services to citizens, often with limited resources and long development timelines. AI tools have begun to change what service development can look like, but how to use them well in the public sector context is still an open question. The AI Summer Program is a structured attempt to learn what good practice looks like, and to share those lessons.

Eight students will be hired to work in the program, which runs from mid-June to mid-August 2026. Each student is matched with one public sector organisation and a specific service challenge. 

Aalto University runs the program and supports the students throughout the summer. Lovable provides the AI building tools the students will use, along with hands-on training and continuous product support. Sitra funds the program and contributes its expertise and networks on public sector needs and challenges, as part of its .

What students will work on

Each challenge has been formulated by the partner organisation around a real problem it is working on. Some projects use AI to streamline tasks that currently consume significant manual effort, others want to improve their existing customer-facing services or build entire new ones. The participating organisations are the Finnish Heritage Agency (Museovirasto), the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri), the Finnish National Agency for Education (Opetushallitus), the National Police Board of Finland (Poliisihallitus), the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela), and the Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom)

In the program students conduct their own user research, build with Lovable, and evaluate the service with real users.

Although each student has their own organisation and challenge, the eight work as a cohort throughout the summer. They share progress, give each other feedback, and together produce a playbook of recommendations on how public sector organisations can use AI tools to develop services. The cohort is intentionally interdisciplinary: students from across Aalto's business, arts, and engineering schools are encouraged to apply. No technical background required. 

Apply by 17 May

The program is open to all Aalto students. Application deadline is the 17th of May.