How can we ensure that the Netherlands continues to create economic and social value through AI in the future? In response to the Wennink Report, the government is working through the Ministerial Task Force on Future Prosperity and Business Climate to identify policies designed to structurally strengthen the Netherlands’ earning capacity and business climate. Digitalization and AI are among the strategic areas being addressed. AIC4NL is contributing to the development of these initiatives as part of the Digital Services and AI program team.
The Netherlands and Europe face the challenge of how to build a strong position in a technology that is becoming increasingly critical to the economy, security, and strategic autonomy. That is why the task force is working on targeted industry programs for six growth markets: plans that outline, for strategic markets, the enabling conditions, investments, and interventions needed to strengthen companies, ecosystems, and technological positions. The Digital Services and AI Industry Program focuses on three interrelated pillars: a strong digital infrastructure, competitive digital markets, and accelerating AI adoption in key growth markets.
From Technology to Profitability
The interconnection between these pillars is important. Compute, cloud, and data form the foundation, but economic and societal value is only created when companies and public organizations are actually able to develop and apply AI. The program team is therefore exploring targeted interventions that remove barriers and help strong Dutch sectors develop and scale up new AI applications.
Bringing Insights from the AI Ecosystem to the Policy Table
AIC4NL brings knowledge and practical experience from the Dutch AI ecosystem to the program team. AIC4NL provides expertise for the further development of the Digital Services and AI industry program and serves as a sounding board for the feasibility, relevance, and support for potential interventions.
This brings together expertise from businesses, research institutions, and public organizations directly with the development of new industrial policy for AI and digitalization. This interaction is essential for developing interventions that are aligned with real-world practice and contribute to a strong Dutch and European position in AI.
That same question is central to our position paper on the European AI industry. In it, we advocate for a coherent industrial policy in which regulation, investment, innovation, public procurement, and European coordination reinforce one another. The goal is to target public and private investments effectively and to ensure that the economic and societal value of AI is also realized in the Netherlands and Europe.
In the coming period, potential interventions within the industry program will be further refined. The goal is to present a limited number of concrete proposals to the Ministerial Task Force.
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