Marleen Huysman (KIN Center for Digital Innovation, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), together with other AI experts, has initiated a petition urging coalition informateur Rianne Letschert to include the establishment of an independent AI Council in the new Coalition Agreement. The initiative calls for a permanent advisory structure to help the government fully realise the opportunities of artificial intelligence while managing risks to Dutch society.
Need for action
According to the signatories, AI represents a system-level transformation with significant technological, social, and institutional impact, influenced by strong commercial and geopolitical forces. While countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, and Belgium already have central advisory structures in place, the Netherlands currently lacks such a framework. This call also presents an opportunity to prevent fragmentation within the Dutch AI advisory landscape. Given the current momentum and the need to comply with the EU AI Act, the experts stress that immediate action is necessary.
Independent mandate
The proposed AI Council should have a statutory mandate (modeled as a framework act) to provide structural advice on legislation and policy. Its core tasks would include:
- Independent advice: Proactively advising on opportunities, risks, and a vision for the responsible use of and investment in AI.
- Protection of public values: Focusing on feasibility, democratic oversight, and digital sovereignty.
- European leadership: Convening other national councils for consultation at the EU level.
Composition
To safeguard independence, the Council should be a multidisciplinary group of experts from education, academia, and civil society. While it should collaborate closely with industry to stay connected to practice, individual companies should not have direct seats on the Council. This will prevent conflicts of interest and ensure objective assessment aligned with public values.
Priority themes for 2026
he letter identifies three urgenThe petition identifies three areas where the AI Council could immediately support the government:
- Regulatory pressure and innovation: Establish regulatory sandboxes to stimulate innovation within legal frameworks.
- Digital sovereignty: Safeguard Dutch autonomy in the global technological landscape.
- Societal impact: Advise on AI’s effects on the judiciary, healthcare, and education.
The experts
The petition has been signed by over fifty professors and AI experts, including researchers from VU Amsterdam:
- Prof. dr. Ir. Hans Berends, Professor Innovation & Organization, Head of the KIN Center for Digitaal Innovation, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- Prof. dr. Frans Feldberg Professor Data- and AI-driven Business Innovation, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- Prof.dr. Frank van Harmelen, Professor Artificial Intelligence, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- Prof. dr. Stefan Schlobach, Professor Knowledge in Artificial Intelligence, Head of the Department of Computer Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- Prof. dr. Annette ten Teije, professor AI in Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
- Dr. Tamara Thuis, Assistant Professor AI Ethics and Governance, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
- Prof. dr. Mark Hoogendoorn, Professor Artificial Intelligence, Department of Computer Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
With this call, the signatories urge the parties involved in coalition formation to address this “blind spot” in AI policy and to comply with motions previously adopted by the Tweede Kamer, which call for the swift establishment of such a body.