NL Tech Pavilions Open at CES 2023 with Responsible Tech, a Philosophizing Digital Quantum Cat and Letters from Nature

News item | 05-01-2023 | 20:00

LAS VEGAS and AMSTERDAM, January 5, 2023 — Marking its seventh consecutive year, The Kingdom of the Netherlands, today announced the opening of the NL Tech Pavilions at CES 2023, alongside two tech-driven, AI-powered art installations — Letters from Nature and Quantum Ca t — which highlight the NL Tech Pavilions’ theme of Tech for a Responsible Future. The two installations utilize OpenAI's ChatGPT to reflect on some of the most important — and polarizing — ethical issues of our time. View a short video about Letters from Nature and Quantum Cat.

The NL Tech Pavilions feature 40 Dutch startups and 30 scale-ups working to solve global challenges across a wide berth of tech sectors that will define future economies, including sustainability, quantum computing, health and wellness, smart cities and smart homes, smart mobility and vehicle tech, AR/VR, robotics and more — and includes 13 CES 2023 Innovation Award winners. The NL Tech Square Pavilion features startups and is located in the Venetian Expo, downstairs in Eureka Park (Hall G, Booth 62100). The NL Next Level Innovations Pavilion features scale-ups and is located upstairs in the Venetian Expo (Halls A-C, Booth 55320). View the full list of CES 2023 NL Tech Pavilion companies here .

"Our CES 2023 delegation features companies committed to tackling major societal challenges as well as a record number of Dutch CES Innovation award winners," said HRH Prince Constantijn van Oranje, Special Envoy to Techleap.nl and the Netherlands, who will read one of the AI-generated Letters from Nature selections in his opening remarks. "I’m particularly proud of how many companies are developing tech to help those with challenges and disabilities. The CES 2023 NL Tech Pavilions show how the government of the Netherlands supports innovative tech ventures as the most important driver of positive societal change."

The AI-powered art installations complement a delegation committed to making a planetary difference. Created by Jeroen van der Most and Peter van der Putten, the Letters from Nature project uses an AI program to write letters on behalf of ecological landmarks under threat, including ice caps, islands and coral reefs. The program utilizes ChatGPT, the latest AI that uses deep learning to create human-like text and generates letters based on text openings. Letters from Nature will be generated live during the opening of the NL Tech Pavilions and throughout the week, filling the space with messages from nature focused on climate change and aimed at world leaders and CES visitors.

The Quantum Cat installation by van der Most and several contributors features a digital feline that speculates on ethical issues using AI and quantum data and is based on Schrödinger's cat. Quantum Cat reflects on topics triggered by a system that monitors Dutch Twitter discussions. When freedom of speech is discussed on Twitter, for example, the digital cat will give ethical reflections on the subject and also bring forward texts written by GPT-3.

"CES often showcases the consumer side of tech, but there is a much more human side to technology, which my work explores," said van der Most, creator of both the Letters from Nature and Quantum Cat installations. "The installations both use AI, but they are ultimately about human concerns, like what happens when our planet is at risk or what is required for engaged thinking about issues. I’m delighted that the NL Tech Pavilions is showcasing my work alongside companies who utilize tech as a ladder to build a better future for people worldwide."

The 70 Dutch technology companies and their solutions featured at CES 2023 include:

SUSTAINABILITY AND CIRCULARITY:

ENERGY TRANSITION AND BATTERY TECHNOLOGY:

HEALTH, SPORTS AND SAFETY:

SMART CITIES AND SMART MOBILITY:

AR/VR:

5G, IOT, COMMUNICATIONS AND SPACE:

NANOTECHNOLOGY, SENSORS, DRONES AND ROBOTS:

AI, BIG DATA, BLOCKCHAIN AND SECURITY:

QUANTUM COMPUTING AND INTEGRATED PHOTONICS:

ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS and FUTURE OF WORK:

About The Kingdom of the Netherlands

The Netherlands strives to solve societal and economic challenges with local and international partners. The country ranks sixth on the Global Innovation Index, and Amsterdam is one of the fastest growing ecosystems in Europe. As a trading nation, the Netherlands has continuously ranked as one of the top five foreign investors in the U.S. for multiple years, making the Netherlands the number one country with which the U.S. maintains a trade surplus. More than 955K jobs in the United States are the result of the strong economic relations with the Netherlands.

The Consulate General of the Netherlands in San Francisco, in partnership with Holland in the Valley and the Dutch ecosystem in the San Francisco Bay Area, empowers Dutch entrepreneurs and talent to innovate and scale in the U.S. by offering a network, content and programs. Learn more at United States | Netherlandsandyou.nl.

All trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners.

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Media Contacts:

Mindy M. Hull and Allie Gavan

Mercury Global Partners for The Kingdom of The Netherlands

[email protected]

Tel. +1 415 889 9977 or +1 415 987 7147