1. Introduction

The term artificial intelligence (AI) describes machine-based systems that can, based on the inputs provided, infer how to generate output for specific purposes¹⁾. These systems are capable of making predictions, providing advice, or taking decisions that affect our physical or virtual environment, and they have some degree of autonomy. Examples of AI systems include autonomous robots, self-driving vehicles, machine learning models used for data analysis, AI-driven image analysis and generative AI models that produce text and/or images based on a prompt.

AI is an example of a systems technology, and in this sense it can be compared with electricity or the internal combustion engine²⁾. Systems technologies are technologies that have a major impact on society which is not fully understood when they are first introduced. According to one OECD study, AI could contribute to scientific progress, economic productivity and growth, improvements in health care and education, and climate change mitigation efforts³⁾. At the same time, the potential risks associated with AI include increased opportunities for criminals (such as online criminality), the spread of disinformation, the undermining of privacy and increased societal inequality³⁾.

AI has been high on the agenda of policymakers in recent years^4),5). It is now an integral element of the European data and digitisation strategy, and new legislation on AI has been drafted in order to regulate its us^6),7). In the Netherlands, the Netherlands AI Coalition (NLAIC) has been established, with the aim of placing the Netherlands at the forefront of expertise in and the application of AI in order to promote prosperity and well-being. One of the ways in which this ambition is taking shape is through a Growth Fund proposal involving approximately 150 million euros. This has been honoured and its implementation will be overseen by the AiNed Foundation.

A new technology with the potential impact of AI demands systematic, ongoing monitoring. However, the statistical data that we need in order to quantify the impact of AI remains patchy. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) is committed to addressing this gap and to developing and implementing a coherent system of monitoring for AI. Some small-scale projects have already been completed, at the request of NLAIC and TNO (the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research). A survey of the AI indicators currently available was conducted in 2022⁸⁾. In the same year, a table set with a statistical description of companies receiving AiNed grants was provided⁹⁾. In 2023, statistics on Dutch companies seeking to fill AI-related vacancies were delivered, and an investigation of the use of AI technology by Dutch companies with and without AI vacancies was completed¹⁰⁾.

The current report is another step towards the development of a national AI monitor. It reports on the development of methods for creating new statistics, but it also provides figures. The report focuses on companies that produce AI, companies that use AI, educational programmes that focus on AI and how these are feeding through into the labour market, and the demand for workers with AI skills. The study was commissioned by TNO and also represents a contribution to the monitoring of the AiNed programme.  

Outline

The publication is structured as follows. Chapter 2 focuses on the use of AI technologies by Dutch companies and provides an insight into what these technologies are used for and how they have been obtained. It also looks at companies that do not use AI technology, whether they have considered using it and, if so, why they decided not to. Chapter 3 presents a new method for identifying ‘AI companies’ (companies whose main activity is the production of AI technology). The AI companies identified in this way are then described in terms of their demographic and business characteristics. Chapter 4provides key figures on educational programmes that include AI. These include figures on the number of students enrolled in study programmes in which AI is a central theme or addressed as part of a broader curriculum, and numbers of graduates. Chapter 5 builds on this, looking at the labour market for graduates of these study programmes. It looks at the position of these graduates in the labour market one year after graduating and which sectors do they end up working in, for example. Finally, Chapter 6 presents a new method of classification for job vacancies involving AI. Based on this, the chapter also provides initial descriptive statistics on the demand for workers with AI skills.