The Netherlands Organization for Science and Research (NWO) is funding two additional ELSA labs from the National Growth Fund (NGF). The Value Alignment in Medical AI (VAMAI) project is investigating the benefits of AI in a medical context, together with patients and healthcare professionals. The E3LSA AI Lab for Energy and Sustainability (AI4ES) is investigating the role of AI in energy management and sustainable innovation. ELSA Labs focus specifically on the ethical, legal, and social aspects of AI.
ELSA Labs serves responsible AI
AiNed ELSA Labsprovides knowledge and insights into the development of methods, techniques, and tools for responsible AI. By this, we mean AI that serves humanity, meets certain standards and values, and contributes to our society.
The researchers conduct practice-oriented research in four areas of application using concrete public and private cases. Each lab investigates how AI technology, ethics, legal frameworks, and societal impact can together lead to AI that respects human rights and public values.
An ELSA Lab does not examine technology and ethics separately, but rather in conjunction with each other. The goal: to develop AI that respects human rights and public values. To this end, the labs test and develop practical frameworks and guidelines.
About VAMAI ELSA Lab
Medical AI must align with what patients and healthcare professionals consider important. Only then can the benefits of AI in healthcare truly be realized. The VAMAI ELSA Lab is therefore investigating which values users consider important and how these values relate to trust in AI and fair outcomes. The lab is collaborating with patients, healthcare professionals, researchers, and companies. The insights are translated into practical guidelines that are widely applicable in medicine.
About E3LSA AI Lab for Energy and Sustainability (AI4ES)
The AI4ES lab investigates how AI can contribute to smarter energy management and sustainable innovation. The lab works on two fronts: AI that promotes sustainability (for example, by improving energy efficiency) and AI that consumes less energy itself. In addition, the lab develops practical procedures that help organizations use AI responsibly in energy systems, with an eye for ecological, economic, ethical, legal, and social aspects.
Collaboration between science, healthcare, and industry
The VAMAI lab is led by Dr. Karin Jongsma of UMC Utrecht and collaborates with a broad consortium of partners, including the Dutch Patient Federation, health insurers, hospitals, and AI companies such as Healthplus.ai and Philips. The AI4ES lab is led by Prof. Thomas Hoppe of the University of Twente and collaborates with energy companies, network operators, and sustainable innovation companies.
Both labs combine scientific expertise with practical knowledge from the field. By collaborating with end users, policymakers, and companies, they ensure that the guidelines and procedures developed are directly applicable in practice. The results are made widely available to promote responsible AI development in the healthcare and energy sectors.
NWO is funding two new research projects within the NGF Call AiNed ELSA Labs. In these projects, knowledge institutions, companies, and social partners are collaborating on AI that aligns with public values, with applications in healthcare and the energy sector. See the press release for details.
