Magnús Smári
Smárason
Research and development at the intersection of governance, AI, and production systems.
Current Work
Beyond Fragmentation
A Life-Value Alternative for AI Governance
Why AI governance fails by design — and why all harmful effects of technology are rooted in human governance. University of Akureyri, 2026.
Read more →The Master Mason Who Lives What Others Write Books About
Smári Sigurðsson · 120:00
Listen →Is the “Sjalli-Kiss” Dead? – Daring to Be Present in the Age of AI
The Sjalli-Kiss is a symbol of the freedom to make mistakes. In an age of surveillance culture and AI — are we truly living?
Read →Research Contributions
Original frameworks for understanding how AI reshapes institutions, judgment, and accountability.
Responsibility Fog
How accountability dissolves when decisions are distributed across algorithms, committees, and platforms. The systematic diffusion of responsibility in AI-mediated institutions.
Cognitive Debt
How judgment atrophies when we outsource thinking to machines. A compounding deficit that becomes visible only when the system fails.
The Investment-Sentiment Gap
41% of AI venture capital targets tasks workers resist losing. 1.26% targets tasks they want automated. A structural misalignment between capital and human need.
VALOR Framework
A governance model grounded in McMurtry’s Life-Value Onto-Axiology — validated against three production systems at the University of Akureyri.
Diagnostic Sociology
Emergency medicine pattern recognition applied to AI’s societal effects. Sixteen years as a paramedic, now applied to institutional governance failures.
Systems I've Built
“For 16 years I trained myself to diagnose complex systems under intense pressure. Now I apply that same thinking to AI governance.”
Magnús Smári SmárasonBefore AI governance, I was a paramedic and firefighter. That work taught me to think in systems, act under uncertainty, and always treat the patient — not the monitor.
Today I work at the intersection of AI governance, institutional strategy, and production systems at the University of Akureyri. My academic work applies what I call "Diagnostic Sociology" — emergency medicine pattern recognition brought to bear on AI's societal challenges.
I serve on the Rannís expert panel, teach AI adoption across sectors, and believe governance that doesn't ship isn't governance at all. Because I practice what I preach daily at the university, my external advisory capacity is reserved for select high-impact projects.
More about me →Temjum tæknina
Conversations about AI and society. Exploring the human side of the technology revolution.
The Master Mason Who Lives What Others Write Books About
Smári Sigurðsson · 120:00
Is Icelandic Lost in Translation? Language, Technology, and the Future
Lilja Dögg Jónsdóttir · 45:00
The Shadow in the Machine: Searching for Humanity in the Digital Sewer
Roberto Buccola, Giorgio Baruchello · 60
Get in touch.
My primary focus is AI governance research at the University of Akureyri. I also advise institutions and speak at events on request.
If your work involves institutional AI governance, critical infrastructure, or high-stakes strategy — I would be glad to hear from you.