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This week the TU/e announced that it was taking a big step forward in the development of AI by investing €100 million in scientists and laboratories in the next 5 years. I was personally honored with the invitation to set up this “Eindhoven Artificial Intelligence Institute”, EAISI, together with a wonderful team of professors and specialists.

Due to my experience with smart cars and my contacts at Singularity University, I am often exposed to AI. I have written here many times about my vision on the division of roles between machines: Artificial Intelligence for the fine work inside the lines and the human being with their genuine intelligence for coloring outside the lines. If we allow robots, which will soon be ten times smarter and stronger than ourselves, to interpret rules flexibly, that seems to me to be a dangerous acceleration towards the end of humanity.

So for the time being, an autonomous car rides really well in cooperation with a chauffeur made of flesh and blood, and the computer/human combination performs even better than a chess computer. A self-steering company fares less well than a company with a human leader. Genuine intelligence ultimately makes all the difference.

As artificial intelligence moves from cyber-only into the real world, knowledge of high-tech systems, human-machine interaction and data is essential. This is when AI wanders into our Brainport garden, because that’s where our traditional strengths lie.

It will be interesting times, yet busy times too. That’s why I’m obliged to stop, at least temporarily, with my column at Innovation Origins. Having started out as a columnist at E52, I have seen IO grow into a flourishing platform for high-tech news- my compliments to the entire editorial team! It was a privilege for me to be able to make a minor contribution to this. Thanks to all the readers for all of their reactions. Especially to those readers who disagreed with me. Because whoever colors outside my lines, are the ones I learn from most.