New Delhi, February 19 Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof on Thursday advocated for the establishment of a bloc comprising like-minded nations for the development of norms for responsible artificial intelligence (AI), given that the US and China have their own AI strategies.
"The fact that the US and China are not present at this conference clearly indicates that other countries recognize the (advantage) of working together, and also of working with India to determine how we can manage AI in a way that we believe is best," Schoof said during a media briefing.
The Dutch prime minister was referring to the US and China not attending the AI Impact summit at the ministerial level.
"It is important for other countries to take their own position because it is not desirable to be overly dependent in the current geopolitical climate. This is a critical issue in Europe," he said.
"We have a very close relationship with the US, but at the same time, we want more autonomy in Europe and to rebuild Europe as a stronger economy, and also as a strong military force, especially in the face of threats from Russia," Schoof said.
"It is important that countries work together and ensure that we develop our own AI and avoid excessive dependence," he said.
The Dutch prime minister suggested that there was a view at the AI Impact summit that there must be a response to what China and the US are doing in the AI space.
Schoof referred to Canadian Prime Minister Mike Carney's speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, where Carney had called for the world's "middle powers" to come together to build greater resilience.
"I believe we can truly unite and form our own bloc," he said.
The Dutch prime minister stated that AI is likely to have a significant impact, similar to how the digital revolution transformed the landscape.
"My expectation is that AI will follow a similar trajectory. It will change the workforce, particularly in public services, and potentially lead to job losses, but at the same time, AI will also create numerous opportunities, and other businesses can be positioned to create a new workforce," he said.