Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
Flanders is the first region to use the UNESCO Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) at the sub-national level, marking a significant step in applying the 2021 Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. This initiative also piloted UNESCO's updated RAM 2.0 framework, contributing to global development efforts.
The assessment was conducted in partnership with Digitaal Vlaanderen's AI Expertise Centre and included expert interviews and stakeholder consultations across Flanders' AI ecosystem. It was adapted to a multi-level governance context, reflecting regional, federal, and European perspectives.
Flanders invested €153 million in AI research in 2024. The region’s private sector adoption of AI is expanding quickly, with the proportion of companies using at least one AI technology expected to rise from 23% in 2021 to 59% by 2025.
The report provides governance recommendations in line with the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. These include strengthening independent oversight mechanisms, enhancing ethical impact assessment capacities, promoting inclusive AI literacy and reskilling initiatives, and safeguarding young people's wellbeing in AI-driven contexts.
The assessment highlights alignment between the UNESCO Recommendation and the European Union AI Act, showing how improving ethical AI readiness supports regulatory compliance and ensures rights-based, public-good-oriented AI development and deployment.