Langsikt - Center for Long-Term Policy is an independent, non-profit think tank for more long-term policymaking. We bridge research and policy development to help ensure that society's resources are used where they have the greatest impact. Our focus is on major global challenges such as artificial intelligence, pandemics, and extreme poverty. The centre will conduct social analysis, develop policy proposals, contribute to public discussions and be a meeting place for all those interested in long-term and knowledge-based policy.
Priority areas
Artificial Intelligence
Here you will find an overview of our work on artificial intelligence.
Participants and speakers from the Langsikt Academy in the spring of 2025.
Role and motivation
The world faces major challenges, and resources are limited. At Langsikt, we prioritise issues where political change in Norway can have the greatest positive impact for the largest number of people. Because the most pressing problems are cross-border in nature, we take a global perspective. Because today’s decisions shape society far into the future, we adopt a long-term outlook. And because policy is most effective when grounded in evidence, we base our proposals on research and maintain strict political independence.
We focus on areas where policymaking suffers from structural weaknesses. Future generations, people outside Norway, and animals are affected by our choices, yet their interests are poorly represented. Politics also tends to overlook the most serious risks we face—either because they are unlikely to materialise within an election cycle or because they fall outside conventional political processes. Threats from emerging technologies, climate change, and global poverty are examples of issues that current institutions are ill-equipped to address.
We are particularly committed to improving and developing institutional solutions to neglected societal challenges. We draw inspiration from effective mechanisms such as Norway’s fiscal rule, independent central banks, the Ombudsman for Children, carbon pricing, and the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Our goal is to design similar institutional models to tackle new problem areas.
We believe policy must be informed by evidence and regularly updated in light of new research. Still, politicians often have to act under deep uncertainty—especially when dealing with long-term risks. We work to strengthen the use of scenario analysis and strategic foresight in decision-making, helping policymakers consider a broader range of future outcomes, including low-probability but high-impact threats and opportunities.
Photo: Thomas B. Eckhoff
We often use the seed vault in Svalbard as a good example of long-term policy. Read more here.
