The NL AIC is intended to strengthen the Dutch AI landscape. The aim is to enable the Netherlands to reap the social and economic benefits of AI and to take its place among the international frontrunners in the field. Accordingly, ELSA Lab status is intended for activities that strengthen the Netherlands through research, education and innovation in AI.

One of six ELSA Labs

The concept of ELSA Labs was introduced by the NL AIC at the end of 2019. ELSA stands for Ethical, Legal and Societal Aspects. ELSA Labs are intended to work together with companies, government, knowledge institutions, social organisations and citizens to jointly develop responsible applications for AI. This involves solutions to both social and business problems, with a focus on honesty, justice, security and above all trustworthiness. The AI, Media & Democracy Lab is one of the first six labs that meets these conditions.

NL AIC: ‘As an ELSA Lab, the AI, Media & Democracy Lab will work on the concrete challenges facing the sector today, combining this with groundbreaking research at the intersection of social sciences, law, humanities and computer science. This not only creates enormous opportunities for new research, but also for the media sector and civil society to take advantage of the enormous innovation potential of AI.’

About the AI, Media & Democracy Lab

The AI, Media & Democracy Lab is a collaboration between the research teams of the UvA’s Human(e) AI and ICDS - Information, Communication and the Data Society (itself a collaboration between the Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR) and the Institute for Information Law (IViR)), the CWI research groups Humane-Centered Data Analyctics, Distributed and Interactive Systems and Intelligent and Autonomous Systems, and the HvA research groups Responsible IT, Network Cultures, Civic Interaction Design, Creative Media for Social Change and Visual Methodologies.

The awarding of NL AIC Label to the AI, Media & Democracy Lab is a great result for the collaboration within the Amsterdam coalition AI Technology for People, within which the UvA, together with the Municipality of Amsterdam, other knowledge institutions, and research and medical centres, is committed to making the Amsterdam region a leader in knowledge about and development of AI technology.