The announcement was made in a publication outlining the government’s strategy for leveraging generative AI systems such as ChatGPT while mitigating risks.
According to an announcement made on January 18 by the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, the Dutch government will set aside 204.5 million euros ($222.07 million). The funds hope to encourage local investment in artificial intelligence (AI) and help the Netherlands “not remain stuck on the sidelines” when it comes to AI.
According to the announcement, the United States and Asia have seized the initiative in the responsible application of generative AI, and the Dutch government wants to lead the way in developing the technology and position the Netherlands and the European Union as competitive players.
The government also intends to launch campaigns to educate citizens on how to protect their data from generative AI. There is also an ongoing investigation into developing a secure and operational national AI testing facility for public use.
The announcement outlined the government’s strategy for leveraging generative AI systems such as ChatGPT while minimizing the risks of misinformation and job loss. The Netherlands would also begin to follow the EU’s AI Act, which governs the government’s use of AI and establishes guidelines for market entry.
The European Parliament and Council agreed to a risk-based model for regulating AI in December 2023, but some details are still being worked out, and it has yet to be formally enacted.
Robbert Dijkgraaf, the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture, and Science, stated, “The essence is to develop and retain AI talent, allowing us to develop forms of generative AI that meet European standards and values.”
Dijkgraaf claims that the government is also thinking about making large-scale investments in scientific and technological infrastructure, like supercomputers and computing power, both at the national and EU levels. We’ll be able to compete in the field of large language models (LLMs) and other generative AI thanks to this.
