The jury named Max Welling the most influential contributor to the Dutch AI ecosystem, praising his scientific impact, leadership in ELLIS, and bridge to real-world applications through CuspAI.
The Netherlands faces important choices in artificial intelligence. The individuals and organisations building foundations today will shape how AI is deployed in healthcare, education, government and industry for decades to come. The Dutch AI Award therefore spotlights ten people and initiatives that, according to the organisers and an independent jury, are making outstanding contributions to the national AI ecosystem.
The jury named Professor Max Welling as the top contributor. In its report, the jury notes that his scientific publications are among the most cited in machine learning. It also highlights his key role in founding ELLIS, a leading European AI research network that strengthens Europe’s position in a field often dominated by the United States and China.
Beyond academia, Welling is a co-founder of CuspAI, where fundamental algorithmic research is translated into applications for science and industry. The jury describes him as a bridge-builder who uniquely combines fundamental innovation, international leadership, European strategic strengthening and talent development. One jury member summarised this recognition with: “If only we had more Max Wellings in the Netherlands.”
The awards also highlighted the breadth of responsible AI work across the country. Other nominees included Gabriëlla Obispa (Dutch National Police), Felienne Hermans (VU, creator of Hedy), Jelle Prins (Cradle, AI Plan NL) and Kim van den Akker (Atos). In the Initiative category, nominees included Kickstart AI, GPT-NL, THETA, vlam AI and the Dutch AI Factory Groningen. Together, they reflect how the Netherlands is building a responsible AI future across multiple layers, from compute capacity and adoption to ethics, trust, language technology and digital autonomy.
The independent jury consisted of Carlo van de Weijer (Eindhoven Artificial Intelligence Systems Institute), Erdinç Saçan (Fontys ICT), Kees Verhoeven (former Member of Parliament and advisor), Monique van Dusseldorp (event curator and moderator) and Saskia Vlaar (AIC4NL and supervisory board member).
Read also
