History  

In 2018 the European Commission published its initial version of a coordinated European AI plan, after which the European Competitiveness Council adopted the Commission's plan. With its own approach to "ethical and human-centric AI", Europe aims to provide an alternative to a purely market-driven form of AI (as is primarily the case in the US) and a state-directed form of AI (as in China). This plan was amended in 2021.

On 16 April 2018, the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts (KVAB) published its "Standpunt 53" on Artificial Intelligence (in Dutch). Subsequently, the EWI Department commissioned a benchmark study from PwC to gain insight into the Flemish AI ecosystem as well as the AI infrastructure and AI knowledge base present. The study also needed to indicate how other countries approach their AI strategy and, finally, how best to address the ethical aspects around AI.

The PwC study (in Dutch, finalised in 2018), together with the accompanying stakeholders meeting, laid the groundwork for the preparations for a dedicated Flemish AI plan. On 1 December 2018, as part of the preparation process, the Flemish Advisory Council for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (VARIO) independently issued its Advisory report 5 "Flemish Policy Agenda Artificial Intelligence" regarding the plans to develop a Flemish strategy for R&I activities related to AI. 

On 22 March 2019, the Government of Flanders approved the proposal for a Flanders AI Policy Plan with €32 million in funding (see further). The Flanders AI Policy Plan adheres to the European trend of "ethical and human-centric" AI. The plan emphasises the impact on industry, the maintenance and enhancement of excellence, and the faster, more local valorisation of available technologies. The plan also aims to increase the talent pool in light of future labour market needs.

In 2021 the Social and Economic Council of Flanders (SERV) took the initiative to publish a comprehensive international exploration (in Dutch) on the socio-economic impact of AI, which (in chapter 14 "AI and the government") also refers to the Flanders AI Policy Plan.

The first cycle: July 2019 - 2023

On 22 March 2019 the Government of Flanders approved the Flanders Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy Plan. In execution of this policy plan, the Government of Flanders subsequently made a number of decisions regarding specific parts of the plan:

  • On 7 June 2019 the AI Steering Group was established.
  • On 28 June 2019, the five-year work plan and the budget (€6 million) for the bottom half of 2019 for the Flanders AI Research Program were approved. In the following years, €12 million (2020, 2021) and €12.185 million (2022, 2023) were allocated. In 2023 a one-time grant of €665,000 was approved to compensate for surging inflation.
  • On 24 May 2019 the Knowledge Centre Data & Society was founded. After two annual subsidies (€750,000), a covenant formula was introduced in 2021.
  • On 19 June 2020 the Flanders AI Academy started on an annual budget of €1 million.
  • On 4 December 2020 the amai! program was launched with an annual operational budget of €1 million. The annual calls for amai! projects are funded on an ad hoc basis (3 to 5 projects between €75,000 and €125,000).

In the course of 2023 an external evaluation primarily targeted the research section (the Flanders AI Research Program) of the Flanders AI Policy Plan. As the research section doesn't operate in isolation, the interactions and synergies with the other two sections (the implementation and accompanying section) were also examined. However, both these sections were not checked in detail down to the level of individual instruments or components. This way the broader picture was also considered, and observations and recommendations were made that apply to the other two sections and to the Flanders AI Policy Plan as a whole.

The evaluation assignment was awarded to Technopolis Group and overseen by the EWI Department's Evaluation Unit that developed the action plan (in Dutch). The goal of the evaluation was, on the one hand, to review the operation, activities and effects of the research component (the Flanders AI Research Program) in particular, and the Flanders AI Policy Plan in general (ex post). On the other hand the evaluation wanted to look ahead to future AI trends and needs for future AI policy (ex ante), and assessed the proposed work programme for 2024-2028 of the Flanders AI Research Program.

Overall the consultant gave a favourable assessment of the Flanders AI Research Program's past activities. The main and overarching recommendation is to continue the Flanders AI Policy Plan, albeit with the nuance that SMART formulated strategic objectives are necessary for each of the three sections. This also includes KPIs with target values. Another area for improvement is the difficulty to measure the impact of the Flanders AI Research Program on industry and the economy. On the positive side an improved and strong international reputation has been established in the scientific domain and the Flemish S&I system has been strengthened through comprehensive capacity building. The Flanders AI Policy Plan has achieved a great deal on a relatively modest budget, especially given the broad scope and stated ambitions, and progress has been made across the three sections.

The Flanders AI Policy Plan will remain a key policy instrument in the coming years. AI is and will remain important to Flanders' economic position and the digitalisation in Flanders, and is increasingly a topic of social debate. The Flanders AI Policy Plan can contribute to broader themes such as sustainability and obtaining the Sustainable Development Goals in Flanders. [Management summary evaluation report Technopolis, in Dutch, page 9]

The second cycle: 2024 - 2028

On 22 March 2024, the Government of Flanders adopted the decision to initiate a second five-year cycle of the Flanders AI Policy Plan, while also approving the proposed five-year work plan of the Flanders AI Research Program, thereby increasing the annual budget for the Flanders AI Research Program to €14.185 million. The subsidy for the Flanders AI Academy was also increased to €1.1 million per year, taking the overall budget of the Flanders AI Policy Plan to just over €34 million per year. The overall structure and set-up of the three sections stays largely intact.

Within the research section there is greater focus on ways of making the research results of the Flanders AI Research Program more suited - and preparing them - for knowledge transfer to industry, whereas the implementation section provides more space for collaborative projects between industry and partners from the research component (€5 million/year). On top of this, together with the Flanders Cybersecurity Policy Plan, a specific action plan for digitalisation of/in industry in the broad sense is being developed at a cost of €4.5 million a year. Also within the accompanying section, the budgets of AI and Cybersecurity are merged to deploy more targeted initiatives in education, the latter also in consultation with the Flemish Department of Education and Training.

On 15 October 2024, the renewed AI Steering Group will meet for the first time. Throughout the spring of 2025, the Knowledge Center Data & Society and the citizen science program amai! underwent an evaluation commissioned by the WEWILS Department. The results will lead to a renewal of the five-year agreement with the knowledge center and a redesign of the amai! program. In addition, VAIA is undergoing an evaluation in the fall of 2025.

A new evaluation cycle will be prepared in 2027.