24 January 2024

Amsterdam AI strengthens cooperation with new agreement

The nine leading partners of Amsterdam AI recently signed a new agreement, strengthening their collaboration. With the partners' contributions, financial support is now coming in, focusing on hiring professionals for communication, strategy, and other crucial functions. This will take the collaboration to the next level and enable groundbreaking AI innovations to be realised, with human-centred and socially responsible AI at its core.

The administrators involved share their vision and enthusiasm about this important milestone:

Rijk van Ark, Director of Economic Affairs and Culture, Municipality of Amsterdam, emphasises the municipality of Amsterdam's commitment to Amsterdam AI and its ambition to make technology work optimally for the people of Amsterdam. He says:

"We encourage companies and talent to use AI to make a positive impact on society, from ethical AI to applications for sustainability and the energy transition. We aim for strong chain collaboration in AI applications for business sectors and societal challenges."

Jessica Peters-Hondelink, Director, Amsterdam Economic Board, underlines the importance of Amsterdam AI as a crucial pooling of knowledge in the region around AI. She says:

"With a focus on human-centred, responsible applications, this closely aligns with our own activities and direction. Together with partners, we are working on pioneering AI innovations for a smart, green, and healthy region."

Hans van Goudoever, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Amsterdam UMC, emphasises the crucial importance of connecting health data with those from the social domain. He says:

"This vision is at the heart of our collaboration within Amsterdam AI, with the aim of reducing health disparities in the city. Amsterdam UMC strongly believes in the power of collaboration between healthcare and social factors, and is committed to a healthier city where citizens are at the centre."

Ymke Fokma, Member Board of Directors of the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, shares the research the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek is doing on the potential of AI for the care of people with cancer. She says:

"The Antoni van Leeuwenhoek is fully researching the possibilities of AI for care and already has applications in daily practice. In this, Amsterdam AI is a valuable platform for us in which we jointly discover and inspire each other."

Ivo van Schaik, CEO of Sanquin, states that Sanquin strives for a better life for patients and sees opportunities in Amsterdam AI to take research and diagnostics to the next level. He says:

"The knowledge and expertise within Amsterdam AI give us the opportunities to take our research and diagnostics for this to a higher level. In this way, we form a living lab in this region that ultimately benefits society as a whole."

Ton de Kok, General Director of the Centre for Mathematics and Informatics (CWI), explains that Amsterdam AI is a hub of the Dutch AI coalition (NLAIC). He says:

"Amsterdam AI is the hub of the Dutch AI coalition (NLAIC), joining forces around key themes such as Health and Citizens. CWI contributes as a national research institute through research at the intersection of mathematics and computer science, focusing on the efficiency, effectiveness and safety of algorithms used in the public domain."

Frank Kresin, Dean Faculty of Digital Media and Creative Industry (FDMCI), Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, emphasises that AI is not a neutral tool, but a systems technology that fundamentally affects society. He says:

"The HvA develops AI applications that are fuelled by social dialogue. This is how we guard shared values, strengthen the action perspective of citizens and reduce the pressure on our planet."

Geert ten Dam, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the University of Amsterdam, calls Amsterdam AI a unique ecosystem where innovations for better healthcare, for the livability of the city, for citizens and businesses are worked on together. She says:

"Responsible AI is also the spearhead of the UvA. It is precisely through this collaboration that we attract talent from all over the world and remain a vanguard player."

Margrethe Jonkman, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, emphasises the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam's commitment to knowledge transfer for society. She says:

"Amsterdam AI brings together leading research in artificial intelligence with the ambition to develop concrete solutions for today's societal challenges. A coalition with impact in which we build a more liveable world together."

These united efforts highlight the power of collaboration and harness AI's potential for a promising future in Amsterdam and beyond. Amsterdam AI continues to drive innovation and collaborative progress.

See Amsterdam AI's partners here.

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