University professor Claes de Vreese received the NWO Stevin Prize on October 7 as the first UvA scientist, the highest award in the Netherlands for researchers with outstanding achievements in knowledge utilization for society. The prize is worth 1.5 million euros. De Vreese will use it to study how AI is changing our information environment and what this means for trust and democracy, and to contribute to clear rules for this rapidly changing digital world.

Almost every part of democracy has rules, he explains, but AI and social media operate in a vast new space with few of them. Who is responsible when an AI system spreads misleading information, what data may such a system use, and how do people keep trusting the information they find online? According to De Vreese, the concentration of money, technology and political power is greater than ever. Still, it is not too late: “The Netherlands and Europe can still choose a way of working with AI that fits our public values, such as human rights and privacy. I would like to get rid of the idea that we have to choose between new technology or ethical rules.”

The prize mainly gives De Vreese freedom, as the money is not tied to one predetermined project. This lets him respond quickly to new developments, whereas an ordinary grant can take up to a year and a half to start. He continues to work in interdisciplinary teams, with early-career researchers and with practice partners of the AI, Media and Democracy Lab, such as DPG, RTL, the NPO, regulators, the Ministry of the Interior and the European Commission.