BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam//NONSGML v1.0//EN NAME:KINTalk: Can AI be ethical in practice—not just on paper? METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART:20260212T171500 DTEND:20260112T190000 DTSTAMP:20260212T171500 UID:2026/kintalk-can-ai-be-ethical@8F96275E-9F55-4B3F-A143-836282E12573 CREATED:20260306T182504 LOCATION:HG- 3C-03/ HG-Agora 3 SUMMARY:KINTalk: Can AI be ethical in practice—not just on paper? X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

“AI ethics” is disc ussed everywhere. The harder question is how you translate principles into day-to-day decisions, model governance, and fair outcomes, espe cially in critical infrastructure.

Tim Vermeulen, ;Director of Digital Strategy & Architecture at Alliande r (Liander), a grid operator that distributes electricity and gas to millions of customers in the Netherlands, will talk about the evoluti on of AI and the ethical safeguards needed to manage the Dutch power grid responsibly. He will unpack the journey of algorith mic bias, from early origins to what it means in production today, through concrete examples from Liander’s operations:

Efficiency versus fairness: Liander currently has more than 60 AI models in production. One model fully assesses 1-to-3 phase connec tions using AI, reducing the need for physical home visits. How can w e ensure that such decisions remain fair and explainable?
S trategic asset management: When an AI model recommends where to lay c ables, how do we prevent it from systematically prioritizing neighbor hoods with higher existing EV adoption?
The human element: Where should boundaries be drawn when it comes to monitoring and supp orting employees?

To address these complex questions, Lia nder has established a dedicated Ethics Board. Tim w ill share insights into what it takes to make such a board effective in practice.

Every KINTalk is a valuable moment where academics and practitioners meet, great opportunity to connect with others and build professional relationships.The talk will conclu de with a networking session — a chance to exchange ideas, share ex periences, and explore potential collaborations over drinks and snack s.

This session is particularly relevant for profession als working in AI, governance, comp liance, or infrastructure. Register for the KINTalk by February 9t h to secure your spot.

DESCRIPTION: Tim Vermeulen, Director of Digital Strategy & Architecture at Alliander (Liander), a grid operator t hat distributes electricity and gas to millions of customers in the N etherlands, will talk about the evolution of AI and the ethical safeg uards needed to manage the Dutch power grid responsibly. He will unpa ck the journey of algorithmic bias, from early origins to what it means in production today, through concrete exampl es from Liander’s operations:

Efficiency versus fairness: Liander currently has more than 60 AI models in production. One mode l fully assesses 1-to-3 phase connections using AI, reducing the need for physical home visits. How can we ensure that such decisions rema in fair and explainable?
Strategic asset management: When a n AI model recommends where to lay cables, how do we prevent it from systematically prioritizing neighborhoods with higher existing EV ado ption?
The human element: Where should boundaries be drawn when it comes to monitoring and supporting employees?

To ad dress these complex questions, Liander has established a dedicated Ethics Board. Tim will share insights into what it tak es to make such a board effective in practice. Every KINTa lk is a valuable moment where academics and practitioners meet, g reat opportunity to connect with others and build professional relati onships.The talk will conclude with a networking session — a chance to exchange ideas, share experiences, and explore potential collabor ations over drinks and snacks. This session is particularly relevant for professionals working in AI, governance< /strong>, compliance, or infrastructure. Register for the KINTalk by February 9th to secure your spot. “AI ethics” is d iscussed everywhere. The harder question is how you translate princip les into day-to-day decisions, model governance, and fair outcomes, e specially in critical infrastructure. END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR