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Mission AI: The New System Technology (government policy)
ABSTRACT
Artificial intelligence (ai) is the combustion engine of the twenty-first century. The technology is currently moving out of the lab and into society, which raises the issue of its impact upon public values. In the publication Mission ai – The New System Technology, the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (wrr) offers a new perspective on this theme. ai can best be compared with the steam engine, electricity, the combustion engine and the computer. Such “system technologies” are ubiquitous, can be used for all kinds of purposes and change the economy and society in profound and unpredictable ways. We are currently at a turning point: ai needs to be embedded within society. The government in particular faces several tasks in this respect, including tackling unrealistic images of ai (demystification), creating a good environment for it to work in (contextualization), involving societal actors (engagement), drafting a broad regulatory agenda for ai (regulation) and reflecting on the Netherlands’ relationship with international parties in this domain (positioning).
The English summary (62 pages) can be found here:
https://english.wrr.nl/publications/reports/2021/11/11/summary-mission-ai
The original Dutch report (512 pages) can be found here:
https://www.wrr.nl/publicaties/rapporten/2021/11/11/opgave-ai-de-nieuwe-systeemtechnologie
About the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (wrr)
The Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (wrr) is an independent strategic advisory body for government policy in the Netherlands. It advises the Dutch government and Parliament on long-term
strategic issues that are of great importance to society. The wrr provides science-based advice aimed at opening up new perspectives and directions, changing problem definitions, setting new policy goals, investigating new resources for problemsolving, and enriching the public debate. The studies of the wrr do not focus on one particular policy area, but on crosscutting issues that affect future policy-making in multiple domains. A long-term perspective complements day-to-day policy-making, which often concentrates on the issues that dominate today’s policy agenda. The wrr consists of a Council and an academic staff who work together closely in multidisciplinary project teams. Council members are appointed by the Crown, and hold academic chairs at universities, currently in fields as diverse as economics, sociology, law, public administration and governance, health, and water management. The wrr determines its own work programme, as well as the content of its publications. All its work is externally reviewed before publication.
ABSTRACT
Artificial intelligence (ai) is the combustion engine of the twenty-first century. The technology is currently moving out of the lab and into society, which raises the issue of its impact upon public values. In the publication Mission ai – The New System Technology, the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (wrr) offers a new perspective on this theme. ai can best be compared with the steam engine, electricity, the combustion engine and the computer. Such “system technologies” are ubiquitous, can be used for all kinds of purposes and change the economy and society in profound and unpredictable ways. We are currently at a turning point: ai needs to be embedded within society. The government in particular faces several tasks in this respect, including tackling unrealistic images of ai (demystification), creating a good environment for it to work in (contextualization), involving societal actors (engagement), drafting a broad regulatory agenda for ai (regulation) and reflecting on the Netherlands’ relationship with international parties in this domain (positioning).
The English summary (62 pages) can be found here:
https://english.wrr.nl/publications/reports/2021/11/11/summary-mission-ai
The original Dutch report (512 pages) can be found here:
https://www.wrr.nl/publicaties/rapporten/2021/11/11/opgave-ai-de-nieuwe-systeemtechnologie
About the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (wrr)
The Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (wrr) is an independent strategic advisory body for government policy in the Netherlands. It advises the Dutch government and Parliament on long-term
strategic issues that are of great importance to society. The wrr provides science-based advice aimed at opening up new perspectives and directions, changing problem definitions, setting new policy goals, investigating new resources for problemsolving, and enriching the public debate. The studies of the wrr do not focus on one particular policy area, but on crosscutting issues that affect future policy-making in multiple domains. A long-term perspective complements day-to-day policy-making, which often concentrates on the issues that dominate today’s policy agenda. The wrr consists of a Council and an academic staff who work together closely in multidisciplinary project teams. Council members are appointed by the Crown, and hold academic chairs at universities, currently in fields as diverse as economics, sociology, law, public administration and governance, health, and water management. The wrr determines its own work programme, as well as the content of its publications. All its work is externally reviewed before publication.
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