België - Nationaal convergentieplan voor de ontwikkeling van artificiële intelligentie (National convergence plan for the development of artificial intelligence)
The federal government's plan contains nine goals and covers a range of topics ranging from trustworthy AI, healthcare, mobility and environment. The plan builds on the recommendations of AI4Belgium from 2019 and is aligned with the already existing AI strategies of the Belgian regions. It aspires to synergies between the different levels of power, public and private sectors.
What: Policy oriented document
Impact score: 3
For who: policy makers, businesses, research organisations, sector federations and citizens
URL: https://michel.belgium.be/site...
Key takeways voor Vlaanderen:
- Many action lines in the plan are currently not yet concrete, but it is clear that there is much overlap between the plan and what is already being done by the regions. Examples include support measures for SMEs and setting up a dialogue with citizens and businesses to raise awareness. So it will be interesting to see how this will develop.
- A data strategy is also under preparation at the federal level. Details of when it will be presented are not known.
- There are many labour market commonalities between the federal and regional levels. The national strategy includes ambitions in terms of up-skilling and retraining, and it also wants to develop an AI competence framework.
- In terms of healthcare, there is an ambition to set up a regulatory platform for AI in medicine. Given the already very fragmented landscape and the various structures and platforms already in place, the question is how this new platform will fit in.
- For many objectives, the federal government will be faced with the fragmentation of competencies (see, for example, mobility and healthcare). The strategy nowhere indicates what position it intends to take on this or what actions it intends to take to meet challenges in this area.
With the national strategy, the federal government aims to position itself as an AI actor. Its overall ambition is to maintain and strengthen public confidence in AI and solidify our country's position in the technology sector. The plan is grounded in nine objectives. Each objective aims to promote an ethical model, balancing innovation and protection of fundamental rights, and to develop an ecosystem of talent. Below we briefly discuss the different objectives.
1° Promote trustworthy AI
The first topic is a broad umbrella term, under which the government plans various actions. It wants to adapt and complete the national regulatory framework, including an ethical framework for AI and establishing a national supervisory authority (required by the EU AI Act). The federal level also wants to impact the development of norms, standards and recommendations at international fora. Lastly, it also intends to engage in dialogue with citizens, the academic sector and businesses to develop a robust ecosystem.
Other actions:
- Adopting a governance framework for AI use in federal public services, establishing an advisory committee on ethical AI use in the operation of government departments
- Development of tools to support the users of AI systems
- Identify algorithmic biases and strive against forms of discrimination using specialised digital tools
2° Ensuring cyber security
Through an integrated effort, research and development will be supported on AI, cybersecurity and privacy. It will focus on raising awareness, training, new research projects and measures to encourage technology transfer.
Other actions:
- Setting up tools such as regulatory sandboxes to develop new AI-based techniques for cybersecurity
- Ensure consistency between AI policy, cybersecurity and privacy
- Continuing the development of synergies between the various competent bodies and actors in the field (Centre for Cyber Security Belgium, the Cybersecurity Coalition, Belgian Institute of Postal Services and Telecommunications (BIPT), the data protection authority (GBA),...)
3° Strengthening Belgium's competitiveness and attractiveness through AI
Under this objective, the government brings together some measures to boost the uptake of AI by companies, with an extra focus on SMEs. Some priorities include the creation of a framework for regulatory sandboxes, setting up a "Deep Tech" fund with an investment budget of €75 million and supporting the existing technology transfer infrastructure.
Other actions:
- Create more opportunities for funding from the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO) provided around AI-related topics which would facilitate interregional research cooperation on AI
- Stimulating interregional AI projects
- Set up more initiatives around information and support for SMEs on AI, with a role for research centres
- Set up an incentive policy to keep top AI researchers in Belgium
4° Developing a data-driven economy and a high-performance infrastructure
This action line focuses on data infrastructure and the Belgian data ecosystem. Belgium is also still working on a national data strategy, which will specifically focus on including the AI dimension.
Other actions:
- Encouraging knowledge-based companies and institutions to open up their infrastructure and data to entrepreneurs and SMEs
- Optimising the reuse of government data through data standardisation and AI use
5° Putting AI at the heart of healthcare
In terms of healthcare, it is rightly pointed out that Belgium is one of the world leaders in biotech and pharmaceutical industries and it is, therefore, crucial to develop AI expertise within this area. Connecting to that, there is a stated ambition to become the European centre for AI in healthcare.
Other actions:
- Organising training initiatives for health professionals and health technology professionals
- Align reimbursement and financing of technologies to increase their uptake
- Establishing a regulatory platform for AI in medicine to review and monitor technology solutions
- Adoption of effective governance of medical data (including the introduction of FAIR data guidelines)
6° Putting AI at the service of sustainable mobility
There are three perspectives under the theme of mobility: increasing traffic efficiency and safety, improving our country's competitiveness and making the transport sector more sustainable. To meet this challenge, the aim is to work towards more global and coordinated mobility management and work towards more proactive mobility demand management.
Other actions:
- The development of a national vision on Mobility as a Service (Maas) and the creation of a “Logistics as a Service”-approach, in collaboration with the regions
- Exploring the potential of AI to enhance road safety
- Supporting the development of logistical optimization processes
7° Protecting the environment
The federal government wants to explore ways of using AI to find solutions to certain environmental problems. There are also ambitions to reduce the intrinsic energy impact of AI.
Other actions:
- Ensuring that the use of AI does not lead to a higher ecological footprint in Belgium
- Encourage the use of AI in the context of the circular economy
- Exploring ways to support researchers (mentoring and financial support) in scaling up prototypes and creating international visibility
- Developing computing and storage infrastructure that allows different actors to test their technology
8° Better and lifelong learning
The federal government closely monitors labour market developments and rightly indicates that upskilling and reskilling programmes should be rolled out to curb challenges within this field. Vocational advancement guidance is also a priority.
Other actions:
- Developing a competence profile for employees with a view to upskilling, retraining and developing basic skills for AI
- The creation of a New Learning Deal-cycle for reflecting on the future of work in all its aspects through foresight workshops
- Stimulate the lifelong learning market, through the ambitious continuing education programme (Adults Reskilling Program)
- setting up ‘Job Market Place, a project aimed at creating and managing a platform to set up meetings and exchanges between companies, government or non-profit organisations and AI specialists
9° Providing citizens with better services and protection
Federal government organisations already have a number of AI implementation processes running, and this ambition will be continued. An important role here is played by the non-profit organisation Smals, which supports government institutions in information management and ICT services.
Other actions:
- Development of AI applications to ensure the social rights of citizens guarantee and detect new needs better and faster
- Particularly in the social protection sector, the government wants to focus on the development and implementation of new AI applications
- Commit to talent management and skills development within the government to work with AI
- Stimulating the innovation and experimentation culture within the government via actions such as hackathons
- Government organisations will be encouraged and supported to implement AI applications aimed at public service delivery
- Commit to dialogue with citizens to identify their needs and concerns regarding AI