Professor Jeroen van den Hoven is one of the experts that has contributed to the Dutch National AI Course, a free online course that aims to provide as many Dutch people as possible with basic knowledge of artificial intelligence. The Delft Design for Values Institute, of which Van den Hoven is the scientific director, is one of the knowledge partners for this course.
His contribution consists of two interviews which have been published as bonus material with the course. In the first conversation he elaborates on the interaction between AI and philosophy / ethics. Just as a product has technical specifications, there should according to Van den Hoven also be a set of specifications regarding the social aspect, the moral considerations and who is responsible.
In the second conversation Van den Hoven responds to complaints that we are being passed on the left (America) and on the right (China) by companies and governments that can innovate faster than we do in Europe. Van den Hoven believes that it is precisely these ethical values that will make the difference in the future: “We are not lagging behind; we are in the lead.”