It’s always fun to have interesting people visit our office in Grandi. March has been particularly lively for us, as we’ve had three interesting groups on field trips to see us in recent weeks. It’s safe to say that these visits give us just as much as they give our guests.

To start with, we had a visit from Skvísó, which is a collaboration between Öda, the interest group for women and non-binary people in information technology at the University of Iceland, and Systra, the interest group for women in the computer science department at Reykjavik University. It was a particular pleasure to welcome this great group, who showed a lot of interest in what we are doing at Miðeind. We discussed language technology and artificial intelligence and gave an insight into the development of Málstaður.

Next, we received a visit from members of SKÝ, the association for people and companies in information technology. During the visit, we went over what Miðeind has been involved in during the decade the company has been operating. Among other things, we covered the development of language technology in Iceland, collaboration with international technology companies, and how we have built solutions that support the Icelandic language in the digital world.

Last week, we had teachers from Fjölbrautaskólinn í Breiðholti visit us for a field trip. It was really great to have them here and to have good conversations about technology, language, and the future. Teachers play a key role in shaping the next generation, so it was particularly valuable to get their perspective on developments and discuss how language technology and artificial intelligence can be used in learning and teaching.

What stands out after these visits is the interest. People are keen to understand what is happening in technology, where it is heading, and how it affects Icelandic society and language. These conversations matter; they keep us on our toes and remind us why we are doing this.

We would like to thank all the groups for visiting, for their interest, and for their questions. It is always encouraging to meet people who have a genuine interest in what we are building.

Everyone is welcome to contact us if they are interested in bringing a group for a field trip. We welcome groups who want to learn about our work, get an insight into our projects, and have an open conversation about technology and the future of the Icelandic language.