'Don't want to depend on one or two powerhouses, want to create our own AI'

Outgoing PM of the Netherlands, Dick Schoof, in an interview with TOI’s Sidhartha, says he is worried over concentration of AI development, and calls for lowering dependence on a few economies, while underlining the need for responsible use of the technology. Excerpts:

What has been the focus here?
China and the US both have their AI strategy. It was important that we had a meeting in India as we don't want to be dependent on one or the two powerhouses, we want to create our own artificial intelligence. That was also one of the main themes. The other theme is that we want responsible AI, not only AI for profit or control, but responsible AI to do with human values of privacy and reliability.


So, there is a concern over concentration risk as most of the AI innovation and development is happening in the US or in China.
Yes, and it goes into the bigger picture. In Europe, we have a lot of discussions these days that we don't want to be too dependent on only one company or country. We want to diversify. That's also why the EU has a lot of new trade agreements, including with India, but also relates to other issues. Europe is stepping up its defensive spending within NATO because of the threat of Russia. We don't want to be too dependent on the US and the same is true for other economies. It's more about autonomy, but at the same time about partnerships with different countries.

Is this also a signal that Europe hasn't done enough in the last few decades to stay ahead of the curve in terms of new technologies and innovation?
Everybody in Europe agrees that we are lagging behind and we have to step up, especially in high tech, biotech, etc. We are now having a lot of discussions on how to achieve that and have funds for innovation and making sure that we step up on renewable energy, AI, high tech, data centres, etc.

How does India fit into this scheme of things?
India is a very interesting partner because it is now stepping up rapidly and successfully in the field of high tech and AI. For example, we have in the Netherlands ASML, well known for its lithography machines to create many chips. It has a big ecosystem in the Netherlands, and a lot of Indians are working there. We can work together because India has such a huge talent base. ASML is also discussing with the Indian govt whether it can use their machines and build a chip factory in India.

Regulation is something which is an area of concern for innovators and for companies in AI. How do you balance the two?
It's important to balance, or you can very easily over-regulate. But there should be safeguards that AI is reliable.

You have called for a systemic pressure on Russia to end the war with Ukraine. What role do you see India playing in this?
India has a special relationship with Russia and as PM Narendra Modi said, he wants peace, just as we do. So maybe he can use that special relationship. We are not putting pressure on India, we are putting pressure on Russia, and we want them to end the war.

India has been buying oil from Russia and there has been pressure from the US to stop that. Europe, including the Netherlands is buying processed fuel from India and you also buy LNG from Russia. How do you address this and should India stop buying oil from Russia?
First, we are in the process of having no energy from Russia at all and probably will reach that point in one or two years. There are some other countries that are still using oil from Russia. We put pressure on them because oil is one of the main incomes for Russia.

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