Rights & Ethics

Public values

Core societal values and human rights guiding AI use.

How the laws define this

Both instruments agree that public values are normative or societal principles—such as privacy—that guide, evaluate, and protect the design and operation of systems. They establish that these principles underpin implementation while safeguarding fundamental concepts like fairness and autonomy. However, the instruments diverge on the scope of technology covered and their specific regulatory functions. In AI, Public Values and Human Rights (Kamerbrief), the focus is restricted to AI systems in the public domain, using these values as the normative basis for policy decisions and prioritizing interventions when AI significantly affects individuals or society. In contrast, the Code 'Good Digital Public Administration' (Code Goed Digitaal Openbaar Bestuur) applies to democratic administration and digital projects generally, incorporating public values as practical evaluative criteria for system procurement alongside design and operation.

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

How jurisdictions differ

What is distinctive in each definition, binding law in force first.

Jurisdiction	Instrument	Status	What is distinctive
Netherlands	Code 'Good Digital Public Administration'	Adopted	This definition operationalises public values as evaluative criteria specifically for the design, procurement and operation of digital systems in democratic administration.
Netherlands	AI, Public Values and Human Rights (Cabinet letter)	Adopted	This definition widens public values to explicitly include human dignity, autonomy, freedom of expression and the right to a fair process, prioritising interventions where AI significantly affects individuals or society.

What it triggers

Under the Code 'Good Digital Public Administration', public values underpin democratic administration and serve as evaluative criteria for design, procurement and operation of digital projects.source
In the AI, Public Values and Human Rights (Cabinet letter), public values serve as the normative basis for policy decisions and prioritisation of interventions where AI significantly affects individuals or society.source

Definitions (2)

A set of societal principles—such as privacy, non‑discrimination, human dignity, autonomy, freedom of expression and the right to a fair process—that should guide the design, deployment and oversight of AI systems in the public domain. The Kamerbrief uses this concept as the normative basis for policy decisions and prioritisation of interventions where AI significantly affects individuals or society.

AI, Public Values and Human Rights (Kamerbrief)Definition 1 of 2

Normative principles such as transparency, privacy, fairness, accountability and accessibility that underpin democratic administration and which the Code seeks to protect and operationalise in digital projects. Public values serve as the evaluative criteria for design, procurement and operation of systems.

Code 'Good Digital Public Administration' (Code Goed Digitaal Openbaar Bestuur)Definition 2 of 2

Not to be confused with

Fundamental Rights and Freedoms

Fundamental rights and freedoms focus on protections like dignity, privacy and non-discrimination in AI, while public values encompass a broader set of societal principles guiding AI design, deployment and oversight.

Human-Centered Values

Human-centered values emphasise AI respecting human rights, democracy and individual autonomy, whereas public values provide a normative basis for specific policy decisions and interventions in the public domain.

Questions and answers

What do public values cover in Dutch digital public administration?

Public values include normative principles such as transparency, privacy, fairness, accountability and accessibility. They underpin democratic administration and guide digital projects.

How are public values applied to AI in the Netherlands?

Public values such as privacy, non-discrimination, human dignity, autonomy, freedom of expression and the right to a fair process guide AI design, deployment and oversight. They form the basis for policy prioritisation where AI impacts individuals or society.

What is distinctive about public values in the Dutch Code?

In the Code 'Good Digital Public Administration', public values serve as evaluative criteria for the design, procurement and operation of digital systems.