Spain
Spain launches first regulatory testing ground for EU AI Law to create a controlled environment to test the obligations of the Law
Apart from its contributions to the EU AI Law, Spain has also published a National AI Strategy to ensure that AI does not negatively impact values, rights or social well-being, but instead reduces social inequality and promotes innovation
To support the implementation of the Strategy and EU AI Law, Spain also announced the launch of Europe’s first AI Supervisory Agency to monitor and mitigate AI risks
Taking a more targeted approach, Royal Decree 09/21 amends the Labour Legislation to grant employment rights to platform-based delivery drivers and transparency rights to all platform workers
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has positioned itself as a key element for development. That’s why NGEU has granted €500 million to Spain. This study characterises the use of AI in Spanish companies, analysing the involvement of their employees, the type of technology used and the purpose of use.
Key points
Within the European Union, Spain is on the EU-27 average in terms of AI adoption, with 8% of its companies using the technology. There is a high degree of regional heterogeneity, and while the digitalization of Spanish consumers is to be expected given the country’s income level, companies are lagging behind in their digitalization process.
The percentage of companies using AI is related to the greater digitalization of the country or region in question, but not to their per capita income levels, neither for EU countries nor for ACs. 71% of Spanish companies that consider using AI but do not do so cite a lack of knowledge or skills within the company as the main reason for this, a situation that is also repeated across EU countries.
Across the regions, half of AI adoption is concentrated in service sector companies, a sector that covers a wide range of products, both high and low value.
In contrast to other areas of the digital agenda, such as digital kit, there is more progress in the ethical and regulatory framework for AI, but little progress has yet been made in implementing concrete programs. One reason lies in the difficulties in properly monitoring and selecting projects.