Five Questions for Willem Jonker: “With AI Fair Tech, Europe Can Set Its Own Course”

As he steps down as chairman of the board of AIC4NL, Willem Jonker looks back on four years during which AI gained widespread public recognition. This required constant adjustments to programs, a joining of forces among organizations, and a stronger European approach. What progress has been made, and what is needed to move the Netherlands forward?

1. Where and when did your journey begin, and what appealed to you about the assignment?

“I joined AiNed on November 1, 2022. ChatGPT was released in late November. This suddenly put AI in the spotlight, not only among my peers but also among the general public. This had an immediate impact on the AiNed program. When we were writing it, the enormous impact of generative AI wasn’t yet firmly on our radar. So we had our work cut out for us.

"That’s what has characterized my past four years at AiNed and AIC4NL: developments are moving so quickly that you have to constantly assess whether, as an organization, you’re doing the right things to take AI in the Netherlands to the next level."

2. How did you respond to those rapid developments?

“The first response concerned the allocation of AiNed funds. We reviewed the program and examined its individual components. The design of our Innovation Labs, Learning Communities, and ELSA Labs has been updated. We’ve also given components focused on talent and knowledge a new direction. Despite all the attention paid to startups, we saw that the specific needs of AI startups when scaling up weren’t being adequately addressed. That’s why we launched Breaking Barriers. Almost immediately, we also realized that the Netherlands lacked AI computing capacity, so we began working toward establishing a Dutch AI facility. My knowledge of Europe and Brussels from my previous role as CEO of EIT Digital came in very handy in this regard.

We’ve also taken an important step from an organizational standpoint: as of January 1, 2025, we brought NL AIC and the AiNed Foundation together under one roof as AIC4NL. This created a unified vision and strategy, increased our effectiveness, and contributed to further professionalization. This has paid off for our participants and led to a deeper and broader relationship with government ministries. The scope of our activities with government ministries has now doubled.

In addition, we have begun to focus more closely on Europe. Not only because AI legislation is being drafted in Brussels, but primarily because a strong geopolitical position vis-à-vis the U.S. and China can only be achieved on a European scale.

At the same time, we began working on a vision for responsible AI. This led to the AI Fair Tech concept, which we are now translating into concrete actions through our ELSA Labs and our support for AI technology development.”

3. Which results stand out to you?

“We’ve been working on many things over the past few years, both big and small. Of course, the big things stand out the most: the AI factory, joining forces in AIC4NL, and strengthening our influence within Europe.

For the Dutch AI factory, we worked with SURF, TNO, and Samenwerking Noord to secure regional, national, and European funding. That was quite a challenge. Ultimately, €200 million became available: €60 million from Nij Begun, and €70 million each from the national government and the European Union. This makes it the largest investment in a public digital research and innovation facility in the Netherlands to date. I’m pleased that we were able to bring those parties and resources together behind a single plan. Work is now well underway in Groningen to bring the AI factory to fruition. The center of expertise has launched, the first small and medium-sized enterprise has been assisted in gaining access to the European network, and construction of the machine itself will be completed in 2027.

“Our international team holds key positions within ADRA, ALT-EDIC, the EU AI Forum, and the new AgriFood EDIC. This strengthens our influence on European decision-making and AI innovation programs, including our relationship with the AI Office. We have also taken the initiative to secure Dutch participation in IPCEI-AI, for which the government has set aside €120 million.”

While Big Tech focuses on scale and dominance, Fair Tech focuses on responsible use, in which sovereignty and resilience are essential.

Willem Jonker, outgoing chairman of the board of AIC4NL

4. What does the Netherlands need to build a strong position in AI?

“We outlined this in our position paper from late 2025. We are calling for at least €5 billion in investments over five years. This will allow us to strengthen our infrastructure, build a Dutch AI industry, and deploy AI for applications in critical sectors. That may sound like a lot of money, but in terms of investment per capita, it brings us roughly to the level of Scandinavia. France, Germany, and the United Kingdom are still higher than that. The amount makes it clear what is needed to join the European forefront.”

We see a number of our recommendations reflected in the Wennink report. At the same time, substantially more is needed than what is currently outlined in the government’s plans. And it is not just the government that needs to take action: the business community, in particular, must increase private investment in AI.

The Netherlands also needs a nationwide network of AI Frontier Labs, where talent works at the cutting edge of AI technology and applications. We outline this in our recent position paper on the European AI industry. In it, we emphasize that regulation, innovation, and investment must reinforce one another. The government can help develop new technology and then act as the first customer. This gives companies the opportunity to prove their product and continue to grow. Europe has invested a great deal of energy in AI regulations. Now we must work with the same conviction to support the companies that can succeed within those regulations.

“Finally, the Netherlands can establish a foothold in the world of LLMs by developing domain-specific AI models and making them the foundation of a strategic AI infrastructure. We will also be publishing a position paper on this topic shortly.”

5. How do you see the future of AI in the Netherlands, and what role do you see for AIC4NL in that future?

“I am optimistic that we will find a responsible way to integrate AI into our society and use it to our advantage. We will do this together with Europe, so that we have sufficient influence on the world stage. Here in the Netherlands, we have the knowledge and innovative capacity to play a significant role in determining how Europe strengthens its position in the geopolitical AI landscape.”

AI Fair Tech plays an important role in this. While Big Tech focuses on scale and dominance, Fair Tech focuses on responsible use, in which sovereignty and resilience are essential. We are seeing that our AI Fair Tech ideas are gaining strong and growing support.

AIC4NL has a solid foundation. With its broad base of support, resources, and activities, as well as strong relationships with government and the business community, and the AI Fair Tech concept, the organization can help shape the direction of AI development in the Netherlands and Europe.

As a realistic optimist, I see a bright future for AIC4NL and look back on the past four years with great pleasure. So much has happened and changed. I’m glad I was able to do my part. So, as we say here in Groningen: “It could have been worse.” And as for the rest, let’s just keep moving forward.