A group of 60 academics and experts, including our directors Claes de Vreese and Natali Helberger, as well board member Pascal Wiggers and even the University of Amsterdam’s rector magnificus Peter-Paul Verbeek, have signed and sent an open letter to informateur Rianne Letschert requesting for the government to form a national AI Council. As the coalition talks mediated by Letschert seem to be reaching a conclusion, this letter urges the upcoming government to take AI into account in future strategies. The document cites a “blind spot” in AI regulation and states that the proposed advisory body, which other countries have already implemented, would take on some of the regulatory burden, and act as a source of independent advice regarding AI and as a defender of Dutch digital autonomy. This call aligns with the ongoing phases of implementation of the EU AI Act, which requires the establishment of AI governance systems in member states.
Read the letter below (in Dutch):
