Integration into Finnish society looks different today than it did a decade ago. Migrants no longer flip through paper dictionaries and leaflets in waiting rooms of public authorities. Instead, their primary companion is a smartphone equipped with generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems and machine translation tools.

Digital technologies change the routines of migrants and might smoothen out several everyday tasks and help in finding information. But does this"digital guide" truly help people to become part of the Finnish society, or does it merely create an illusion of access and understanding? Based on interviews with recent migrants from Ukraine and Russia, we explored how AI tools function as a mediator between the individual and the Finnish society and its institutions.

Navigating the "Bureaucratic Jungle"

For many ofour interviewees, AI was a survival tool in Fnland's complex digital architecture. Official websites were described as "confusing forums from 2010 with billion tabs." In such conditions, ChatGPT becomes a personal navigator.

Moreover, official letters from the Tax Administration or the Immigration Service are often written in a complex legal language. Tools like Gmail's auto-translate or Google Lens allow users to instantly grasp the alleged essence of a document. One person noted that Google Translate has become accurate enough to navigate even the most complex texts. For another, AI served as a shield against stress, helping them quickly determine if they had received a bill of 7000 euros or simply an automated notice about potential income.

Education and Information Search

For many recent migrants, searching for educational opportunities is among their top goals. The search might be difficult due to an unfamiliar educational system and all the different steps it includes. Who is eligible for certain types of educational institutions? When to apply? Is it free to study and is one able to apply for student allowances? What kind of degrees are available? Instead of spending hours browsing outdated institutional websites or pages of governing bodies such as Finnish National Agency of Education, many turned to ChatGPTor some other AI tool free of charge. For some, AI-powered chatbots helped in finding relevant courses in vocational schools and explained admission rules, practically acting as a personal consultant.

Everyday Assistance

In addition to formal issues such as bureaucracy and finding out issues related to Finnish education system and labor markets, AI tools are used in informal matters as well. Our interviewees and most people use digital technologies to search for help in very mundane things – or just to find out pieces of interesting information. AI chatbots were used to start a dishwasher in a rented apartment or to help with writing song lyrics for entertainment. For some, search engines have given way to AI-powered chatbots which become personal assistants, always available and without language barriers. In addition to wearing out natural resources, a constant use of digital technologies has unintended consequences for immigrant integration as well.

The "Digital Crutch" Trap: The Flip Side of Technology

Despite its convenience, AI technologies and automation carry hidden risks for integration. Based on our interviews with recent migrants, we have tentatively recognized the following four risks.

1. Loss of "live" connections. Interviewees agreed that machines cannot replace human interaction in situations requiring nuance and empathy, such as psychological counseling or complex legal negotiations. Quite often, the need for more nuanced and precise information increases together with the time spent in Finland. Moreover, and most importantly, integration is about participation in social life and feelings of belonging to human communities. Consequently, the "human factor" is still the most important one. For our interviewees, despite the power of technology, teachers, employment center advisors, and Finnish friends are the decisive factors when getting ahead in the Finnish society.
2. Increasing distance to labor market. For many recent migrants, finding work is the number one goal. In the context of rapid technological change and restructuring of the labor market, migrants may face even more difficulties in finding their place. While having to compete with the local population, they must acquire new     skills at the same time. For one interviewee, for instance, making a living with graphic design became difficult as potential clients found it easier to use AI tools and doing designs by themselves without hiring a professional.
3. Hindering language development. Learning a new language requires human effort and exposure to social interaction. However, with the available translation     tools today, there is an obvious temptation to resort to "live translation" during lectures, language courses, and everyday interaction. However, as one interviewee noted, this prevents students from training their ears and truly learning Finnish. Relying on one's own burgeoning skills yields better long-term results. Machine     translation might be a useful help in new lingual contexts, but there probably should be a gradual shift towards leaning to machine-free interaction.
4. The problem of false information. Our interviewees recognized the risk with AI technologies. In addition to minor mistakes related to statistics or grammar, there is always a possibility of more major flaws such as biased information, one-sided perspectives, and lack of contextual knowledge. For recent migrants, these types of risks are particularly significant. In Finland, they might not have enough historical and contextual understanding to assess the trustworthiness of the information produced by AI tools.

Conclusion: technology and the human factor

Artificial Intelligence might be an excellent tool to gain information during the first months in Finland. However, when it comes to more long-term integration, social participation and developing feelings of belonging, it might turn into a trap. More profound integration happens where smartphones are put into pockets and reciprocal offline conversations take place.

Nevertheless, the ability to integrate and participate in social life not only depends on the migrant and local communities but also on the digital system itself. The main danger liesin digital inequality: If public (online) services remain too complex burdened without dated webpages, people will become hostages to commercial AI tools that are prone to biases and misleading information. Today’s immigrant integration should include not only translated brochures and webpages but also the development of digital literacy—the ability to use AI as a tool rather than an authority. It is crucial for the integration services to ensure that people can use digital technologies to find the right paths for themselves rather than detours and dead ends.

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Writers Karina Adamusik, Antti Kivijärvi & Arseniy Svynarenko work in DECA to explore how  language minorities in Finland access, use and produce multilingual information. The opportunities to access understandable information and communicate with the other members of one's society serve as the cornerstones for the creation of epistemic capacity and social participation.