The book is recommended literature for obtaining the “AI for Business & Government” certificate by the Netherlands AI Coalition (NLAIC). It presents a direct answer to this month’s recommendation from the report “Opgave AI” by the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR). In its report, the WRR advocates a system that encourages educating and certifying more professionals in AI. The release of “Dit is Kunstmatige Intelligentie” is an initiative of MIcompany, I.AMDIGITAL and Van Haren Publishing. 

AI is the new general purpose technology of the 21st century

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is considered to be the biggest development of the 21st century, on par with the steam engine, electricity, and the computer. The WRR therefore refers to it as the new general purpose technology. The advance of this technology is characterized by the number of algorithms influencing our daily lives, our work and the institutions we interact with. In 2021 alone the number of algorithms used by large companies all over the world increased to 18 billion: an increase of 300% in comparison to 2020.

A “national AI license” to prevent a divided society 

Just like previous technological breakthroughs, AI will also have a significant impact on our society and our work. The World Economic Forum (WEF) expects a substantial shift to occur in the labor market. AI will take over routine and dangerous tasks. Dozens of millions of jobs will vanish worldwide. On the other hand – as wealth increases due to AI – even more new jobs will arise. In these newly established jobs, AI will play a crucial part. The WEF expects that 50% of all employees will need to undertake some sort of reskilling in the period from now until 2025. Without reskilling there is a risk, according to the predictions of the WEF, that society will be divided into people who can and people who cannot deal with AI. Moreover, for the latter group, there is a danger of increasing distrust in governments, companies and institutions that use AI technologies. Therefore, the WRR advocates a system of education and certification linked to the introduction of a “national AI license”. The WRR compares this license to a pilot’s license or a BIG-registration in the medical field. 

Accessible stories on AI make the book appealing to a broad audience 

To prevent the danger of a divided society and to contribute to the major reskilling challenge in the Dutch labor force, the book “This is Artificial Intelligence” has been published by Van Haren Publishing. The authors of the book chose to inspire with 40 stories about all aspects of AI: from the origin of algorithms and how neural networks work, to cloud computing and ethical considerations. The book contains case studies from Heineken, eBay, and the Medical Centre of the University of Groningen. With these 40 chapters, each a unique story about the use of AI, the aim is to make AI understandable and accessible to a broad audience. Not only as a source of inspiration, but also as a study book. The book supports an online learning path and is recommended literature for obtaining the “AI for Business & Government” certificate by the Netherlands AI Coalition.