Amsterdam-based ING, a multinational banking and financial services corporation, has joined a group of organizations to promote the development and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the Netherlands.
The project is part of a nationwide plan to halt a brain drain of talented AI professionals to the US and China.
INJ has partnered with Ahold Delhaize, KLM, NS, and Philips to establish Kickstart AI. The Dutch bank will co-fund five AI-focused academic positions in collaboration with several universities in the Netherlands, and help promote a national course on AI to increase awareness and adoption.
Kickstart AI will be participating in a series of “super challenge” projects that address important societal issues, including healthcare and mobility.
Görkem Köseoğlu, ING’s chief analytics officer, stated:
“For the competitiveness for Dutch companies and the Dutch education system, we are joining forces with four other large Dutch companies to not only work on supporting universities, start-ups and SMEs, but also to help raise awareness with the Dutch public about the opportunities and risks of AI.”
In addition to being a member of Kickstart AI, ING has joined the National AI Coalition, which aims to develop a joint strategy for promoting AI technology through a single, national knowledge and innovation network.