Kela — AI document pre-processing for benefit applications (Finland)

Kela, Finland's national social insurance institution, has deployed an AI platform since 2022 to pre-process attachments submitted through its OmaKela digital portal, converting files, classifying document types, and routing them to benefit specialists. The system operates at national scale across Finland's social security system, which serves around 5.6 million residents.

The AI platform converts submitted files to required formats, identifies document types such as medical certificates, income statements, and identity documents, and routes them to the appropriate benefit specialists. Kela also maintains a public AI register documenting all its AI applications, publishes information on automated decision-making for specific benefit types, and has published responsible-AI principles with ongoing model monitoring.

The OECD's 2026 report 'Building an AI-Ready Public Workforce' cited the system as saving an estimated 38 full-time-equivalent years of caseworker labour annually. Finland's Chancellor of Justice reviewed Kela's automated decision-making in 2020, confirmed legal compliance, and identified areas for procedural improvement.