Netherlands to Invest Heavily to Boost AI Growth

The Dutch government is allocating US$ 222.07 million to promote local investment in AI and prevent the country from lagging in the tech race.

With Asia and the U.S. at the forefront of responsible generative AI usage, the Dutch government aims to strategically position the Netherlands and the EU in the competitive landscape and "gain a foothold" in AI.

The government plans to conduct awareness campaigns on safeguarding data from generative AI. An ongoing investigation is underway to establish a secure and functional national AI testing facility accessible to the public. Although the European Parliament and Council reached an agreement on a risk-based model for AI regulation in December 2023, the formal enactment is yet to be finalized.

“The essence is to develop and to retain AI talent, to allow us to develop forms of generative AI that satisfy the standards and values of Europe,” said Robbert Dijkgraaf, Dutch Minister for Education, Culture and Science.

The government's commitment to investing in substantial scientific and technological resources like supercomputers at both national and EU levels is a strategic move aimed at sustaining competitiveness in the field of large language models (LLMs) and other generative AI forms.

The country wants to foster AI through a value-driven approach by prioritizing responsible generative AI development, as per an official statement. Key principles guiding this process are safety, fairness, human well-being, and sustainability. Six action lines include collaboration, monitoring AI advancements, legislation, knowledge enhancement, safe experimentation, and strict supervision to navigate societal changes responsibly.

“We are also considering investments in large-scale scientific and technological infrastructure, such as supercomputers and computing power, both at national and EU level. This will enable us to remain competitive in the field of LLMs [large language models] and other forms of generative AI,” Dijkgraaf added.