Technical

demonstrator

Research-built domain-specific prototype.

How the laws define this

Both frameworks treat a demonstrator as an applied prototype or exhibit designed to illustrate artificial intelligence applications in specific real-world contexts to enable evaluation and validate outcomes. The primary divergence lies in their operational setting, target scope, and formal governance requirements. Under the Vlaams Onderzoeksprogramma Artificiële Intelligentie, a demonstrator is a research-built proof-of-concept spanning broad application domains such as healthcare, industrial automation, and public services, subjecting the project to strict deliverable, documentation, and readiness-level requirements to validate underlying methodologies. In contrast, the KI-Studios BMAS project defines demonstrators as tangible, low-threshold, accessible, and often physical exhibits curated specifically for concrete work tasks in workplace scenarios. Rather than focusing on formal research deliverables, KI-Studios uses these exhibits to support practical learning, evaluation, and user co-design directly within work environments.

Synthesised from the 2 statutory definitions below. Each one is quoted in full, with its source.

Definitions (2)

A research-built, domain-specific prototype or proof-of-concept used to validate methodologies and illustrate outcomes in application domains (e.g., healthcare, industrial automation, public services), subject to deliverable, documentation and readiness-level requirements.

Tangible, often physical or prototype exhibits curated for KI-Studios that illustrate AI applications in specific workplace scenarios; they are required to be low-threshold, accessible and oriented to concrete work tasks to support learning, evaluation and co-design.