Norwegian AI solution enters the global academic market

If you don't know what's out there, how can you search for it? This is the 'learner's paradox', known since ancient Greece, and it represents the fundamental challenge Keenious solves. For millions of students, researchers and knowledge workers worldwide, this Norwegian innovation is changing how they discover relevant research.

The weakness of today's search engines and database searches is that finding relevant research articles and references can be challenging when writing an academic paper or conducting research.

‘In today’s world, you can find things in two ways: either you search for something specific, or something is recommended to you,’ says Frode Opdahl, CEO and CTO of Keenious.

Together with Anders Rapp, who is now the company's COO, he has developed an AI tool that applies the recommendation concept to research.

Keenious can uncover relevant research that users would struggle to find using traditional keywords. In a study with Uppsala University, librarians discovered up to 100 per cent more relevant articles when they combined Keenious with traditional searches.

At the same time, the Norwegian AI tool differs from traditional search engines and newer AI solutions such as Perplexity and ChatGPT. While other AI search systems automatically analyse content and assess its relevance and accuracy for you, Keenious leaves it to students and researchers to decide whether the source material is relevant. This strengthens learning and critical thinking.

‘We don’t want to give you a ready-made answer or have AI review the information for you. We want to provide you with relevant information so that you can assess it yourself and build your own understanding. That’s why we see it more as an educational tool than a productivity tool,’ Opdahl emphasises.

The story of Keenious began with a common student frustration. While working on his master's thesis in computer science at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Frode Opdahl discovered how difficult it was to find relevant research.

– 'This challenge gave me the idea of developing a prototype that recommends academic articles, and it quickly attracted interest from fellow students and researchers.'

Together with co-founder Rapp, they developed a more advanced prototype using research papers, supported by the EU's research programme. Working with us and UiT, they went on to develop the project into the AI tool Keenious.

Unlike many tech companies that prioritise productivity gains and automation, Keenious has made a conscious choice to focus on the ethical development of AI tools for the education sector.

'What matters most to us is creating a tool that leaves you with a better understanding after using it, because you have actually explored the sources yourself. We do not want to provide quick answers; we are heading in a completely different direction,' Opdahl explains.

The company conducted an extensive study involving 50–60 librarians worldwide to explore views on the ethical use of AI in academia. The findings were clear: finding information was considered ethical, while generating text for inclusion in a document was considered unethical. Based on these findings, Keenious has chosen not to include generative AI in its products – so far.

'After careful consideration, discussions with the academic community and a better understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of generative AI, we now plan to add it. We simply did not want to jump on the generative AI bandwagon without knowing how it affects education and research. We are seeing a growing body of research showing that ChatGPT can reduce critical thinking, make people lazy and be less effective for learning,' Opdahl explains.

Keenious now has ten employees and has quickly gained a foothold at prestigious universities such as Carnegie Mellon, Caltech and the University of Helsinki. The duo have also taken a different approach to marketing than typical tech start-ups.

‘We take a very academic approach rather than positioning ourselves as a “Silicon Valley” start-up. When we speak to a university, we refer to our existing customers. We point to studies on the impact and the methods we have used. This really sets us apart in the market,’ says Rapp.

This rigorous approach has delivered results. Carnegie Mellon University, a global leader in AI research, describes Keenious as 'Your new favourite research tool' and has presented alongside the company at the Charleston Conference, one of the world's larger library conferences.

'Caltech is one of the world’s top 10 universities and is highly prestigious. They allow almost no one to use their logo on their website. But after we had worked with them for a while, they gave us permission,' says Opdahl.

The success is built on thorough, systematic work shaped through collaboration with UiT and support from us, including a crucial innovation loan of innovation loan worth NOK 5 million in 2023.

'The great thing about the rigorous requirements we and UiT set along the way was that they had to take a structured and considered approach from the outset. During the project, we saw that this approach delivered good results, so we have simply continued along the same path,' says Opdahl.

Our grant for an innovation contract proved particularly valuable for the duo. It gave Keenious valuable access to UiT as a demanding customer. This collaboration led to the development of datasets and studies documenting the tool's impact – evidence that later proved crucial in convincing prestigious universities around the world of the value of the Norwegian solution.

This trust from both public and private investors has been hard-earned. It takes a sustainable business idea and a team with the ability to deliver – qualities the company has demonstrated over time.

'We quickly gained confidence in Frode Opdahl and Anders Rapp because they are professional and work in a highly structured and thorough way. They did an excellent job of finding developers and the right expertise to take the company to where it is today, securing major contracts with many renowned universities,' says our Senior Adviser Inger E. Haug.

During the process, the two founders also took part in several of our scaling programmes, including TINC (Tech Incubator Silicon Valley) and TEA (Tech Accelerator London).

Read more about our scale-up programmes

With ambitions to become the leading AI solution for academia worldwide, Keenious continues to develop its products. The company aims to draw on Norway's reputation for ethics and reliability in its international marketing.

‘We know that Norway is a good place to develop this type of company. Internationally, we are known for being trustworthy and ethical, and we use that in our marketing,’ says Opdahl.

Our support has not only provided a financial boost, but also shaped the company's approach to the market through requirements for documentation, structured processes and thoroughness. This has proved key to building credibility in the academic market, where quality, ethics and documented benefits carry more weight than bold promises about technology.

‘Education is a stable market. Universities have high standards, and it takes time to win them over. But if they give you a chance and you prove that you are reliable, they may welcome you into the fold,’ Rapp concludes.

‘We have almost no dropouts. This process developed naturally through our work with Innovation Norway and UiT on the innovation contract. It pushed us in this direction.’