News

November 4
Google releases AI watermark tool SynthID for public use >
Google has made its watermark tool SynthID, designed to identify AI-generated content, freely available to developers and businesses. Developed by DeepMind, this tool embeds digital watermarks into text, audio, images, and videos without affecting the quality or user experience of the content.
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November 4
Humans and AI: A good team? Study calls for clear task division >
As AI becomes more common in various sectors, the question arises: how effective is human-machine collaboration? MIT researchers conclude that in some cases, humans and AI perform worse together than separately. However, they see potential when task division is clear.
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November 1
Geert Wissink announced as jury member for Data Science Top 50 Event >
On November 14th, Geert Wissink, Business Director of Amsterdam AI, will serve as a jury member at the Data Science Top 50 event.
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October 28
Opinion: “A call for consensus: AI's place in education” >
Roemer Wage, a graduate of the University of Amsterdam with a degree in Information Science and currently pursuing a Master's in Information Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit, wrote his Bachelor's thesis titled "Regulating Generative AI: An Analysis of the EU Approach," which was graded an 8.5. Drawing on this research and his insights gained throughout his studies, he shares the following opinion on the role of AI in education.
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October 23
Accelerating digitalization in SMEs: a conversation with André Gerver >
AI is everywhere. SMEs face the challenge of keeping up with rapid digital developments. In an interview with the Centre of Expertise Applied AI at HvA, program leader André Gerver discusses the European Digital Innovation Hub Northwest (EDIH) and the role of the 'Test before Invest' work package, which helps SMEs in their digital transition.
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October, 23
HAVA-lab officially opened: interdisciplinary research into human-aligned video AI >
Last week, Peter-Paul Verbeek officially opened the HAVA-Lab. This is the first lab of its kind at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) that studies video-AI from an interdisciplinary perspective. The central research question revolves around what defines human-aligned video-AI, how it can be made computable, and what determines its societal acceptance. The lab unites all seven UvA faculties in a groundbreaking effort, showcasing the power of collaboration in addressing complex societal challenges.
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October 14
TikTok turns to AI, cuts hundreds of jobs worldwide >
TikTok, the popular social media platform, has cut hundreds of jobs globally, particularly in the content moderation department. The company aims to rely more on artificial intelligence (AI) for moderating content. This decision has a significant impact, especially in Malaysia and the Netherlands, according to various sources such as NOS , de Volkskrant , and NRC .
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October 14
Analysis: OpenAI moves from idealism to profit-driven future >
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has raised $6.6 billion from investors, bringing its valuation to $157 billion. Once established as a nonprofit organization with idealistic goals, OpenAI is now transitioning into a profit-driven enterprise. These developments and the financial restructuring mark a new phase for OpenAI, as analyzed by de Volkskrant .
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October 14
Responsible AI: A Collaborative Effort >
How can AI be developed in a way that avoids discrimination and excessive energy consumption, but instead benefits society? This is the central question of a large national AI initiative housed at the Informatics Institute of the University of Amsterdam (UvA). In collaboration with companies and (semi-)government institutions, the initiative focuses on responsible AI solutions for societal challenges such as food waste, cancer treatments, and combating discrimination.
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April 4, 2025
UvA investigates AI’s influence on visual representations of gender >
What influence does generative AI have on visual representations of gender? An interdisciplinary UvA team is investigating this in collaboration with partners from the creative sector.
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23 March 2025
Why GPT Can’t Think Like Us >
Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially large language models like GPT-4, has made remarkable strides in reasoning tasks. However, a new study highlights the limitations in AI’s ability to truly understand abstract concepts, suggesting that it’s more about mimicking patterns than genuine comprehension.
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20 March 2025
Call for Participants: Help Test a New AI Powered Recommendation System for NEMO Kennislink! >
NEMO Kennislink, in collaboration with researchers from UvA, HvA, and CWI, is testing a new AI-powered recommendation system in the AI Media & Democracy Lab. We’re looking for enthusiastic participants to read NEMO Kennislink articles on their smartphone via a special test app for two months.
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March 18
Lemni secures €3.3M pre-seed funding for AI-driven customer interactions >
Amsterdam-based AI startup Lemni has officially launched, securing €3.3 million in pre-seed funding led by Sequoia Capital. The investment will help Lemni accelerate product development, expand its team, and scale its AI-driven customer interaction platform globally.
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March 11
Russian disinformation infiltrates AI chatbots on a large scale >
A NewsGuard audit reveals that the ten largest AI chatbots repeat disinformation from a Russian propaganda network 33% of the time. By systematically spreading false information, the Kremlin influences how AI systems process and present news.
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