Public Values in Power: An Exploratory Framework Applied to the Case of the Netherlands

Abstract

Artificial intelligence is increasingly applied in electricity systems. This development results in opportunities and pressures for incorporating public values. Public governments can steer the implementation of AI to safeguard certain values. To understand what values might be pressing to cover, this paper maps the visions of various actors in the Dutch electricity system regarding which public values should be safeguarded. For this analysis, actors in different elements of the electricity system were interviewed, and a narrative analysis of grey material published by several of these actors was conducted. Multiple actors within the electricity system identified sustainability, reliability, affordability, equity and equality, and balances of power as important values to prioritize. This does not mean other values can be disregarded. At its core, identification and non-identification indicate which public values are present and absent in the current debate about the future Dutch electricity system.