AI, data and algorithms are developing at breakneck speed, while legislation inevitably lags behind. But laws and regulations are essential – look no further than the Dutch childcare benefits scandal. ‘To regulate, we need to experiment, but then responsibly.’
This is the central message of Anne Fleur van Veenstra’s inaugural lecture on 20 March. Van Veenstra is Professor by Special Appointment of Governance of Data and Algorithms for Urban Policy, a chair endowed by TNO in collaboration with the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Centre for BOLD Cities.
She is also Director of Science at TNO Vector and has spent years researching the societal impact of digitalisation.
‘Until the childcare benefits scandal, my field was seen as dull and abstract. But now everything is moving so fast, everyone recognises its importance. If we want to guide these developments, we have to keep experimenting. Even if you sit down with the brightest minds to devise new rules, you’ll still be too late and be playing catch-up.’
Clear rules for AI
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) agrees. Last week, it urged the new government to accelerate the implementation of AI regulation and oversight, adding that organisations wanting to adopt AI urgently need clarity. It also warned of the risks posed by unsafe and discriminatory algorithms, against which law enforcement agencies cannot take action.
For Van Veenstra, how technology influences government has been a fascinating field for years. Whether we focus on seizing the opportunities or mitigating the risks of AI, we must steer the process. In her lecture, she outlines three perspectives that help shape this approach: the innovation perspective, the values perspective and the transition perspective.
