Research & Bio

At the age of 4, my brother Halvor was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder. He lost his ability to use spoken language, and our family adapted by learning to sign. As such, I grew up in a bilingual household, where we daily spoke both Norwegian and Norwegian Sign Language.

Through his fight for inclusion, my brother has taught me about accessibility, empowerment, and the importance of community. However, his situation has also illustrated the high cost and challenges faced when one is unable to access information and services in their surroundings. Advancements in AI offers to provide my brother and those facing similar challenges with tools that can profoundly transform the accessibility of opportunities, leading to a more inclusive and fully realized experience of life.

Warm AI is the pursuit of technologies that assist people living under adverse social conditions. A prime example is sign language processing (SLP), which automates interpretations between d/Deaf and hearing communities. My work, while focusing on what could be considered a prime example of warm AI, is part of a larger purpose centered on improving societal structures for accessibility.

Currently, I'm pursuing a Master's degree in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Amsterdam, where I am in the process of writing my thesis. This project explores methods for increasing 3D-awareness in neural sign representations, by conditioning networks on lingustic structures and grounding representations in a geometry corresponding to the inherent visual modality of sign languages.

Before pursuing a degree in AI, I founded DeepSign AS, a start-up comprised of an international team of six researchers targeting sign language technologies. This venture received support and funding from the Research Council of Norway in 2021. My academic background is rooted in physics and astronomy, having completed a bachelor's degree at the University of Oslo. I furthered my education with master's studies at the University of Amsterdam, where I undertook a year of studies on gravitational waves and astroparticle physics at the GRAPPA Institute. Additionally, I studied international relations for a brief period, focusing on human rights, international law, economics, and organization.