Belgium has introduced a new national strategy in the field of artificial intelligence aimed at strengthening the country's capabilities, skills, and policy-making tools in this area. This initiative was announced by the Belgian government on Wednesday.
Targeting and Utilizing AI
Belgium's Minister of Digitalization, Vincent Van Quickenborne, stated that this strategy aims to create value for Belgium through artificial intelligence while allowing the country to have greater control over the development and use of this technology. According to reports, 42% of Belgians currently use generative AI, while 34.5% of Belgian companies have turned to artificial intelligence technologies, placing Belgium among the countries with rapid adoption of new technologies.
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Developments and Reforms in the National Strategy
This strategy updates Belgium's national convergence program, which was approved in 2022, taking into account changes in the technological and geopolitical environment. The goal of this strategy is to create existing investments in research and innovation, public services, infrastructure, and access to European capabilities. Additionally, focusing resources on priority areas and accelerating the transition from AI experimentation to implementation are other objectives of this program.
The strategy will next be discussed with Belgium's federal entities to determine how it can be implemented. Among the anticipated actions is the reform of the strategic AI committee to include representatives from federal entities and strengthen oversight of priority projects.
Furthermore, this strategy emphasizes a greater focus on sectors where Belgium has specific strengths and also proposes improving access to data for priority AI projects and introducing a "governance network" for public funding that includes cloud and AI technologies.
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