Pedro Sánchez announces the IA360 Plan and calls for a national agreement on the responsible, humane and safe deployment of artificial intelligence

The President of the Government of Spain has announced that the IA360 Plan sets out a roadmap with specific measures to be implemented over the next 12 months, enabling Spain to capitalise on the opportunities that AI offers the economy, whilst prioritising public safety.

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, during his speech at the event (Pool Moncloa/Sandra Armada)

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, has presented the IA360 Plan, which sets out a roadmap with specific actions to be implemented over the next 12 months to enable Spain to capitalise on the opportunities that artificial intelligence (AI) offers the economy, whilst prioritising public safety, trust and the protection of vulnerable people, particularly children. The plan will strengthen Spain's 'technological muscle', turn the adoption of AI into an 'economic driver and a breeding ground for talent', establish governance frameworks and promote a national consensus to provide security in the face of the changes to the labour market brought about by this technology.

This was announced by Pedro Sánchez during the closing ceremony of the 'IA360' event: 'Plan for the Responsible Deployment of AI', held at Moncloa Palace, and attended by the First Vice-President of the Government of Spain and Minister for Economy, Trade and Business, Carlos Cuerpo, who opened the event; the Second Vice-President of the Government of Spain and Minister for Labour and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz; the Minister for Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant; and the Minister for Digital Transformation and Civil Service, Óscar López. The event also featured a panel of experts, moderated by the Secretary of State for Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence, María González, with contributions from the president of the AESIA (Spanish Agency for the Oversight of Artificial Intelligence) Think Tank, Senén Barro; Verónica Bolón, a lecturer in Computer Science and AI at the University of A Coruña; and Rosa Lillo, a mathematician and lecturer at Carlos III University.

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, during his speech at the event | Pool Moncloa/Sandra Armada

"We face a serious problem regarding how we are going to live and coexist" with AI, emphasised Pedro Sánchez, who pointed out that "if there is one thing that history shows, it is that self-regulation does not work and that the incentives of the few who control these cutting-edge industries will never be aligned with the public interest". He therefore called for "urgent action", warning that "unregulated, opaque AI, running amok and in the hands of a select few, is the perfect recipe for disaster". "If AI remains concentrated in the hands of a few companies and a handful of countries, its impact on shared prosperity - and on the very idea of democracy - will be devastating", he warned. He then went on to say: "Artificial intelligence without the guidance of collective human intelligence is not intelligence: it is chaos and stupidity".

However, he pointed out that, if we act "correctly", we will be able to "develop responsible, humanistic AI geared towards the collective good, which will enable us to build fairer societies", with "traceability and oversight", which will help to bridge social, geographical and economic divides, create new jobs, provide new tools for teachers and pupils, "democratise" access to new technologies and bring about improvements in productivity. "That future is not set in stone. Nor is it determined by the agents who are now striking fear into the hearts of their own creators. That future depends on us. "We will write it ourselves", he said.

Technological development: strategic projects and data centres

The President of the Government of Spain has unveiled the IA360 Plan to promote the responsible roll-out of Artificial Intelligence. The Action Plan, which sets out a roadmap with specific actions to be carried out over the next 12 months, aims to capitalise on the opportunities that AI offers the economy, whilst placing "public safety, trust and the protection of the most vulnerable, starting with children" at the centre. As he explained, the plan is based on four main objectives, which include strengthening Spain's 'technological muscle' through strategic projects such as the AI gigafactory and the development, in collaboration with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, of new AI models for use in tackling the climate emergency, energy and healthcare. It is also committed to developing data centres that "meet the highest energy and environmental standards and guarantee our sovereignty over the data stored there".

Artificial Intelligence Voucher and adaptation in Secondary Education and Vocational Training

The second objective, as Sánchez has indicated, aims to "turn the rapid uptake of this technology by society in Spain into an economic driver and a breeding ground for talent", through initiatives such as the Artificial Intelligence Voucher, aimed at SMEs and the self-employed, with the aim that by 2030 more than half of our businesses will have integrated AI into their operations. To achieve this, he emphasised the need to invest in talent and training, and therefore announced that the Government will adapt the secondary school and vocational training curricula so that students "learn to use and live alongside AI, but also to ensure that the roll-out of AI does not hinder their learning process".

AI governance: security will be a priority

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, closes the presentation of the IA360 Plan | Pool Moncloa/Sandra Armada

Another of the plan's objectives is to establish a framework for AI governance to tackle these challenges. In light of the "risks posed by uncontrolled AI" - which are becoming increasingly "apparent" in the light of statements made by some of its key players - Pedro Sánchez made it clear that "security will be an absolute priority in this Plan". This objective will be tackled on two fronts: strengthening the cybersecurity shield; and stepping up monitoring of the most aggressive frontier models. Finally, he stated that the plan will also promote "a genuine Social Contract on Artificial Intelligence - a national pact between businesses, workers, trade unions, parties and public authorities - to provide people with security in the face of the changes to work and life brought about by this technology". "Next month we will bring together the social partners to start making progress on this major national agreement", he announced.

Spain is starting from a "strong position"

In any case, Pedro Sánchez emphasised that Spain is in a "strong position" in the field of AI, as almost half of Spain's working-age population already uses generative AI, placing Spain sixth in the world in this ranking, second in terms of graduates from higher vocational training in ICTs, and with one in five companies already using AI on a regular basis. He added that "Spain has robust digital infrastructure, computing capacity and competitive renewable energy", adding that "Spain has understood from the outset that innovation and rights are not two divergent paths; that we can develop cutting-edge technology whilst, at the same time, demanding that it be secure, transparent and respectful of people".

Spain ranks second in the world for AI governance according to Stanford University; it was the first European country to set up an Artificial Intelligence Supervisory Agency and is spearheading the United Nations laboratory in Valencia. In addition, Pedro Sánchez pointed out that, under the Spanish Presidency of the EU, an agreement was reached on the European AI Act, the world's first comprehensive legislation of its kind. "Few countries have been as clear in their defence of humanist-inspired AI as Spain has been, and time is proving us right", he said.

Stepping up efforts on multilateral mechanisms: a 'bold' global agenda

The president emphasised that Spain has talent, businesses and a "dynamic" start-up ecosystem, connectivity and renewable energy; it is building the necessary infrastructure and, "above all, we have the moral authority as a country to drive a bold agenda at a global level so that we are not at the mercy of the monopolistic and abusive practices of the big tech companies". He specified that this agenda would "hold companies legally and financially accountable for the damage caused by their AI: 'deepfakes', mental health issues amongst our children and young people, or the theft of intellectual and industrial property". In this regard, he stated that Spain will "redouble its efforts", working with other countries, to ensure that AI at the frontier serves humanity, through multilateral bodies such as the European AI Office, the UN Scientific Panel, or the Global Dialogue, in which "Spain is a leading player, inspiring and guiding others through its commitment and vision".

"Some business leaders continue to argue that regulation is the enemy of innovation. They are wary of state power because they believe themselves to be above it. And they believe that, if there were to be any regulation, it is they who should lay it down. They couldn't be more wrong. It would be good if today's tech oligarchs did not fall into the same trap as the tycoons of the past, because "no one is above the public interest" and "nowhere is it written that technological progress guarantees social progress", he concluded, calling for the development of AI in Spain that "puts people at the heart of everything".

Carlos Cuerpo calls for "genuine access" and for confidence to be bolstered through "rules"

The First Vice-President and Minister for Economy, Trade and Business, Carlos Cuerpo, during his speech at the event | Pool Moncloa/Sandra Armada

The First Vice-President of the Government of Spain and Minister for Economy, Trade and Business, Carlos Cuerpo, stated that AI is "a technology capable of transforming the economy, classrooms, public services and our very lives", which will also shape the future of generations to come. In this regard, he pointed out that Plan360 will tackle the challenges arising from AI to ensure that this technology enables workers to "do things they could not do before" through incentives, address the high entry costs to prevent market concentration, and ensure genuine access for SMEs, the self-employed and in classrooms.

He also called for independent development, with our own companies, centres and models that form a "Spanish and European ecosystem on a sufficient scale to compete", as well as for the rules to be monitored and improved. The Vice-president called for efforts to draw up a "national plan" on AI developed "in partnership with society", and to this end announced that a round-table discussion will be organised involving experts, trade unions, businesses, scientists, academia, civil society and the public administration. Finally, he emphasised the importance of trust, with "rules, supervision, a roadmap and when one feels ready", so that "no one has to choose between blind enthusiasm and fear".

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