On 9 December, the headquarters of the world’s largest AI research network Claire (Confederation of Laboratories for Artificial Intelligence Research in Europe) opened its doors in The Hague. The network was established to ensure that Europe remains competitive in AI and its applications. Claire plans to invest in talent, research, technology and innovation. Its focus is on utilizing AI to help reach the UN’s sustainable development goals and on accelerating broad access to and benefit from AI across all of society, including enterprises of various sizes, government and European citizens.
“Claire is going to shape the way AI is going to be used in Europe,” says Holger Hoos, professor of machine learning at Leiden University and the co-initiator of Claire. “Alongside The Hague’s reputation as a city of peace and justice, the Netherlands, in general, is an ideal home base. It’s a hotbed for AI research and innovation in Europe and home to a large number of internationally leading experts in AI.”
The headquarters in The Hague will support Claire activities all over Europe, coordinating the work of existing offices in Prague, Saarbrücken, Rome and Oslo, as well as offices soon to be opened in Brussels, Zürich, Paris and Cork. The HQ will also place special focus on AI in the public sector, AI computing and data infrastructure, and the development of a focus on AI for social good. It will interact and coordinate with the NL AI Coalition, the European Commission, AI4EU, the European AI Association, the Benelux AI Association, CBS, TNO and Ellis. Its location in The Hague helps strengthen the position of the Netherlands as a major AI hub in Europe.
The Netherlands is well-positioned when it comes to research on AI and AI applications. Last October, the Dutch government launched its new nationwide Strategic Action Plan for Artificial Intelligence. Its aim aligns with the objectives of Claire: to keep the Dutch economy globally competitive by stimulating AI based on the principle that both citizens and businesses can be confident that AI will be used with care.
