AI for Good
How AI in the Netherlands Powers Solutions for a Better World
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a burgeoning field of technology that is capable of having a huge influence on all elements of the economy and has already impacted virtually every aspect of industry, commerce, education, culture, and society. It enables rapid and detailed data analysis and helps organizations predict upcoming customer or client trends, to name but a couple of its numerous applications. And now, as we grapple with the climate crisis, it is being used for good; to power solutions that are aiding the net zero transition and helping us move towards a more sustainable world.
AI for Good in the Netherlands
Driving innovation in ‘AI for Good’, is the world’s leading AI summit. Taking place on 12th – 13th October in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the World Summit AI will be a hive of activity, bringing the greatest minds in the industry together. Invest In Holland is joining AI leaders from across Enterprise, Big Tech, Startups, Investors, and Science at this renowned conference, which has cemented Amsterdam’s reputation as an AI-ready city and hub of AI innovation.
The Netherlands has a wealth of AI innovators. According to Techleap, about 650 AI startups and scale-ups are based in the Netherlands, making it the country with the highest density of AI start-ups in the EU per capita. The Dutch government recognizes the importance of AI to the future and seeks to foster its development. Furthermore, the Netherlands is a leading green economy with a deep-rooted culture of sustainability, making it the perfect place to bring AI and sustainability together.
Nurturing AI innovation
Not only is the Netherlands home to the world’s leading AI summit, there is also a rich scene of research institutions which aim to foster AI innovation. Launched in 2018, the National Innovation Center for AI (ICAI) is a national network, based at the Amsterdam Science Park, that provides a model for company-funded research stimulating the academic world through collaborative labs via which AI knowledge can be distributed. And in 2019, the Netherlands AI Coalition (NL AIC) was created which works as a catalyst for AI knowledge and research initiatives.
Also in 2019, the world’s largest research network for AI, CLAIRE (Confederation of Laboratories for Artificial Intelligence Research in Europe), was established in The Hague. It is working on strengthening the Netherlands as a major European hub for AI, as well the digital gateway to Europe. Following the establishment of CLAIRE, ELLIS, the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent systems, selected Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) as the location to establish one of its units for European research excellence in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning. The unit is comprised of top researchers working on tackling fundamental challenges in AI with a focus on research excellence and societal impact.
International organizations are tapping into this network of world-class research and development hubs and public-private partnerships. For example, Microsoft Research is due to open an AI lab in Amsterdam, focusing on molecular simulation using machine learning. Microsoft’s AI lab follows the company’s quantum technology research center at TU Delft, and Microsoft’s partnership with Dutch enterprises such as the startup TechTics, which creates beach-cleaning robots.
Sustainable AI from across the Globe
Crucially, in the Netherlands, driving innovation is all about collaboration. An event such as the World Summit AI brings together AI innovators from across the globe who are taking AI to new levels and making it a force of sustainability.
Those using AI to support a more sustainable world include Blue Sky Analytics, a geospatial data intelligence company based in Indonesia, which is building an API based catalogue of Environmental Datasets by leveraging satellite data, AI and cloud. The data helps asset managers and owners assess climate risk, and supports those making ESG ratings. And Quicargo, which is an online cargo matching platform that connects empty trucks to any business that needs transportation in real-time; reducing emissions and ensuring optimal logistics efficiency. Quicargo uses AI and self-learning algorithms to predict and reduce transportation issues.
AI for better health
AI for Good also extends beyond sustainability to supporting society through improved health care and diagnostics. For example Lunit is a South Korean medical AI software company devoted to conquering cancer and advancing medical intelligence. It develops and provides AI-powered data solutions for cancer diagnostics and therapeutics that can save time and save lives. Lunit chose the Netherlands as its European sales and marketing base because of its strong R&D environment and well-connected life sciences ecosystem.
So, through this leading industry summit, government support and vibrant community of research institutions, the Netherlands is nurturing exciting innovation in AI with potential to build a more sustainable (and healthier) future.
Contact us and explore how the Netherlands can help you reach your sustainable AI ambitions.
10 October 2022