AI is not a technology hype that you as an executive can hand off to the IT department. It is a fundamental shift in how organisations create value, make decisions and interact with customers and members. That demands leadership: setting direction while the outcome is still unknown.
From technology to leadership
According to Marga de Jager, it became clear early on that AI has a different character from previous technology hypes. "Blockchain seemed like it would be big, but AI felt different straight away. This was going to be a revolution that touches people's daily lives."
That conviction did not come from behind a desk, but from looking outward. Attending conferences, including at Google, and consciously immersing herself in what AI means for society. "We stand with both feet in the real world. If Dutch citizens are affected by this, it directly impacts how we as ANWB interact with our members."
That realisation was the moment AI stopped being an IT topic and became a boardroom issue.
Choosing focus and acceleration deliberately
Like many executives, De Jager recognised the risk of fragmentation: AI experiments were already popping up across the organisation, often with great enthusiasm but without coherence. Rather than slow that down, ANWB chose to make it visible and shareable.
Leaders were introduced to AI in an accessible way: writing their own prompts, experimenting, discovering what AI can do. Not from a place of control, but of curiosity. "The enthusiasm was already there. We brought it together and amplified it."
Two years ago a clear strategic step was taken: data and AI were explicitly named as enablers in the strategy towards 2028. Not as ends in themselves, but as preconditions for achieving ambitions. Capabilities were consolidated into a single Data & AI team, signalling ANWB's visible investment in expertise and its attractiveness as an employer.
Eight moonshots with one criterion: member value
Rather than getting stuck in isolated use cases, ANWB made a deliberate choice. After a careful process, eight so-called moonshots were selected: initiatives where AI can demonstrably make a difference.
The selection was made along three axes:
- Efficiency: making existing processes smarter and better
- Growth: using AI to create acceleration
- New business models: carrying more uncertainty, but potentially high impact
"Everything we do, we do in the interest of our 5.3 million members. Financial health is the foundation, but member value is the compass."
AI at the moment it matters
A concrete example from roadside assistance illustrates what that means in practice. During the summer period, many Dutch people end up stranded with their car abroad. That requires rapid scaling of both capacity and knowledge: local garages, vehicle types, local conditions and regulations.
With AI, all that information can be brought together into a single recommendation for the employee. This reduces cognitive load and creates space for what truly matters: attending to the emotions of a member in a stressful moment.
"Those are defining moments. That is precisely where technology should strengthen people, not replace them."
From use cases to strategic thinking
In the boardroom there is a genuine concern about getting stuck in optimisation alone. AI can improve existing processes, but the real question is: how do you apply AI in a way that makes your organisation work fundamentally differently?
De Jager emphasises that new business is genuinely hard. You do not know upfront whether it will succeed. That is why ANWB deliberately organises different "buckets": optimising and exploring. That balance keeps the organisation agile.
At the same time, the external landscape is shifting rapidly. Websites are receiving fewer visits due to the rise of LLMs and AI-driven search results. Rankings, trust and brand visibility are all changing. "This requires a different way of thinking and working. That is already happening now."
Speed versus care
In the tension between speed and control, ANWB makes deliberate distinctions. Where member interaction is concerned, care comes first. "We do not want hallucinations or discrimination. The reliability of our brand and the responsible handling of data are crucial."
For experiments, ANWB deliberately opts for speed. Creativity and innovation are given room, as long as production happens within clear boundaries. Those are overseen by a Data & AI board that also includes risk and compliance representatives. Legislation such as the AI Act and Data Act are explicitly part of that framework.
Building and buying smartly
The "build or buy" question has no single answer. ANWB does both. Generic functionality, such as communication platforms for call centres, is purchased for speed. Unique knowledge, such as roadside assistance logic, is developed in-house.
The consideration is always the same: control over data, competitive differentiation and strategic value. Vendor lock-in is a real risk, but pace carries significant weight. "The speed of technology development is often something individual organisations can no longer keep up with on their own."
Bringing people along through uncertainty
AI generates both energy and uncertainty. That has to do with personality, skills and outlook on change. ANWB therefore chooses transparency and education: real-world stories, digital training programmes, workshops and monthly knowledge sessions.
"It is a gift you get to unwrap. AI can make work more enjoyable, simpler and more meaningful." By making visible what is already working, fear is replaced by curiosity.
Trust as the most important AI KPI
Through a series of statements, the leadership perspective comes into sharp focus. De Jager is unequivocal:
- AI only becomes truly valuable when you dare to redesign your processes — Agree
- Trust is the most important AI KPI — Agree
- The board does not need to understand AI — Disagree
Executives do not need to become technologists, but they must understand what AI does, what data it runs on, and what choices that entails. Without that, AI remains a collection of experiments without direction.
Trust plays a double role here: internally between people and tooling, and externally between the organisation and its members. "ANWB has existed for 140 years. Trust is our core. You must never lose that, not even in a digital interaction."
Relief as a promise
What is De Jager most optimistic about? That AI can genuinely take the burden off people. Bringing information together, increasing speed, creating simplicity. Provided the human dimension is preserved.
"Decision-making becomes faster, but responsibility grows heavier." That makes AI not a technological shortcut, but a test of leadership.