The government has issued new guidelines in collaboration with municipalities, provinces, water authorities, and implementing organisations on the use of generative AI. Civil servants will have more freedom to use generative AI to expedite permit applications, respond more quickly to inquiries from citizens and entrepreneurs, and make decisions more efficiently. However, they must adhere to certain conditions while doing so.
The position paper emphasises the importance of collaboration among all managers and employees within government organisations. It advocates for clear risk analyses and adopting reliable generative AI models. Additionally, it encourages the use of applications developed in Europe and supports the implementation of open-source solutions.
“Generative AI provides numerous opportunities to tackle societal challenges and enhance government services. For instance, it can simplify administrative processes, strengthen data analysis, and improve communication,” Zsolt Szabó, State Secretary for Digitalisation and Kingdom Relations (BZK), says. “It is essential for employees to develop AI literacy through training and collaboration among various disciplines, including legal experts, data specialists, and developers. We also encourage working together within the government and with companies and researchers to share knowledge and best practices.”
Experimenting with AI
Within the frameworks for responsible and safe use, government agencies are experimenting with various initiatives in the field of generative AI.
- An example is the PZH assistant that the Province of South Holland uses. This assistant was developed as a secure alternative to Chatgpt and similar chatbots. It is only accessible to officials within the province. Since it is primarily intended for internal use, it does not directly affect businesses or citizens.
- Another practical example is Chatbot Guus at the Municipality of Goes. Chatbot Guus answers questions asked by citizens. It only uses predefined sources, such as URLS from goes.nl.
Handbook
A handbook (currently only available in Dutch) was created to offer practical support to government professionals across all levels of government in implementing generative AI in their daily work. This handbook establishes the first comprehensive set of government-wide guidelines for AI.
The position paper is the result of active collaboration among various levels of government, coordinated by the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK). This effort aligns with the broader Dutch Digitalisation Strategy (NDS). The finalised handbook will be presented to the House of Representatives in spring 2025.
View the full Government-wide Position Paper on the Use of Generative AI (currently only available in Dutch)
