AI is no longer an experiment

Less than a year ago, Martijn Exmann made the move from Product Manager to AI Officer at Nederlandse Loterij. A logical step for someone who has been fascinated by artificial intelligence ever since its earliest developments. He now works in a specialist AI team that helps colleagues across the organisation to use AI in a smart and responsible way. “AI isn’t an experiment here. It’s a strategic development in which we, as an organisation, are consciously investing.” Read more.

From curiosity to a new role

Martijn started as a Product Manager at TOTO just over three years ago. He soon realised that his interest was shifting increasingly towards AI. “I’ve always been curious about new technology. When AI really started to take off, I thought: I want to learn everything there is to know about this. Not just because it’s interesting, but also because I could see how much of an impact it can have on the way we work.”

So when the role of AI Officer became available, he didn’t have to think twice. “It felt like all the pieces of the puzzle came together. I could combine my experience as a Product Manager with something I’m genuinely passionate about.”

AI is not an end in itself

As AI Officer, Martijn speaks daily with colleagues from across the organisation. What challenges are they facing? Which processes are time-consuming? And where does AI make the biggest difference? “I see myself as the link between the business and our AI Developers. We gather ideas from across the organisation, assess use cases and work together to develop solutions that deliver the greatest value.”

Those decisions aren’t based on intuition alone. Every AI application is carefully assessed for business value, security, privacy and compliance. “We’re innovative, but we’re also responsible. That’s an important part of who we are as an organisation. AI should help people work smarter without compromising on security or reliability.”

According to Martijn, AI isn’t about replacing people. “That’s not what we’re using AI for at all. We focus on making repetitive and manual tasks more efficient, giving colleagues more time for creativity, collaboration and decision-making. Those are the parts of work that really energise people.”

AI is already part of day-to-day work

AI has become an integral part of working at Nederlandse Loterij. Every new colleague receives access to an enterprise version of ChatGPT and learns during onboarding how to use AI safely and responsibly. And it doesn’t stop there.

“In a relatively short period, we’ve trained more than 500 colleagues in AI and prompt engineering. Today, 94% of our colleagues use AI every week. That’s probably what I’m most proud of.” For Martijn, the real success lies not just in the technology, but in helping people embrace it. “Making a tool available is easy. Helping people become genuinely better at their work because of it – that’s the real challenge.”

Working smarter and better protecting players

The applications range from small daily improvements to advanced AI solutions. “Sometimes AI helps a colleague automate a repetitive task or create a first draft of a document more quickly. But we also use AI where it directly supports our social responsibility.” For example, AI helps employees identify signals of at-risk players more quickly, supports compliance processes and makes time-consuming checks more efficient.

Building what’s next

The world of AI is evolving at incredible speed, and that’s exactly what keeps the work exciting. “We’re constantly exploring new possibilities. Right now, we’re looking at how colleagues can build their own AI solutions. We do this step by step, making sure innovation and responsibility always go hand in hand.”

He sees that same curiosity throughout the organisation. “More and more colleagues come to us with new ideas. That’s probably the best part of my job. You can really feel that AI is alive within Nederlandse Loterij.”

Room to grow

According to Martijn, it’s no coincidence that colleagues keep bringing forward new ideas. “Of course, the employment conditions are great. But what really makes the difference for me is the culture. You’re trusted, you’re given freedom and you’re encouraged to keep developing yourself. If you show initiative, you get the opportunity to turn your ideas into reality.”

His own career is proof of that. “I started as a Product Manager and now I’m an AI Officer. Nobody held me back from making that move. On the contrary, I was encouraged to follow my curiosity.”

Shaping the future

For people who are passionate about technology, enjoy working together and want to make an impact, Martijn has a clear message. “AI is changing the way we work. How exciting is it to not just watch that happen, but to help shape it yourself? That’s exactly what we do here every single day.”

Ready to help shape the future? Explore our vacancies and discover where your curiosity could take you.