On 7–8 October, the Rücklab team gathered at Ulfsunda Castle for our annual retreat. The two days brought together research presentations, discussions, AI-focused sessions and collaborative work, with plenty of time to reflect on how we work as researchers and as a team.
A highlight of the retreat was a keynote by Emma Frans, titled How to navigate in times of smart technology and human stupidity. Drawing on themes from her new book Mental uppgradering, Emma discussed how we can navigate an information environment increasingly shaped by misinformation, disinformation and rapidly developing AI tools.
A central theme was the importance of active rather than passive use of AI. Just as modern life has reduced the need for physical effort and made deliberate exercise more important, increasingly capable AI tools may make deliberate “mental training” more important too. Rather than outsourcing our thinking and writing to AI, Emma encouraged using it as a sparring partner or devil’s advocate — a tool that can challenge assumptions, test arguments and help us think more critically.
The retreat also included a session on AI in research led by Olly Kravchenko, focusing on practical ways to use AI as an assistant while retaining oversight of the parts of research we want to master ourselves. Mårten Tyrberg also presented his new book, Treating Complex Mental Health Conditions with Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Self-Compassion, alongside further presentations and joint work across the group.
A big thank you to Emma for an inspiring keynote, and to everyone who contributed to two productive and thought-provoking days together!
