In recent years, the demand for highly trained specialists in Artificial Intelligence (AI) has grown explosively. To meet this requirement, the UvA is investing € 1 billion in developing responsible AI technologies, together with other Amsterdam knowledge institutions, by setting up research programs, attracting top scientists and educating students with state-of-the-art knowledge of AI.

Under the name AI technology for people, leading Amsterdam knowledge institutions commit to invest 1 billion euros over the next ten years, appoint at least 800 researchers, train 5,000 bachelor's and master's students and doctoral candidates, and have 10,000 students take an AI minor. and (help) develop 100 spin-offs and 100 startups. Eliminating the numerus fixus for the Artificial Intelligence bachelor's program is part of that ambition.

Maarten de Rijke (university professor of AI and Information Retrieval and director of the Innovation Center for Artificial Intelligence): "AI will soon affect every aspect of our lives. If we want to make a difference as a country, we need to strengthen our AI knowledge base. We are working on this challenge with the ambition to invest extra in attracting researchers and training students. As of the academic year 2021, we will therefore be training even more students at the UvA '.

LAB42: Talent hub at Science Park

In order to - literally - accommodate the ambitions, the UvA is building a new building for research, education and companies around AI and the information sciences at Amsterdam Science Park. Part of the building, which will be named LAB42, is intended for co-creation. In other words, the collaboration between students, researchers and companies around AI and information sciences. From 2022, Bachelor's students of the Artificial Intelligence program will also follow lectures in LAB42, which will become a hub for AI and information science talent.