The Spanish Agency for the Supervision of Artificial Intelligence, AESIA now has its Ideas Laboratorypresented at the Pazo de Mariñan, located in Bergondo (A Coruña) by the Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Service, Óscar López.
The creation of this Laboratory is one more step in the government’s strategy to develop ethical AI, with the additional objective of Spain advancing in AI regulation. The Minister has thanked the members of the Laboratory’s management and the Advisory Committee that will co-lead it for their work.
This committee will be made up of thirty experts and representatives from the academic, public, business and union sectors. Among other entities, they come from universities in A Coruña, Santiago, Granada, Valencia, Catalonia or Madrid; as well as the CEOE, DigitalES, Adigital, UGT or CCOO.
The AESIA Ideas Laboratory has chosen four discussion topics to reflect on during its first year, based on their social impact. The first is the impact of AI on the image and dignity of women. For this reason, in collaboration with the Women’s Institute, which participates in the Laboratory as a permanent observer, initiatives will be sought to prevent AI from amplifying gender biases, in addition to protecting the dignity of women against image manipulation and digital violence.
Other topics that the Laboratory will address will be disinformation linked to AI, the protection of the information space against deepfakes and the automation of propaganda, to avoid the erosion of public trust. In addition, its members will seek to generate safe digital environments for children against algorithmic manipulation or exposure to harmful content.
The last point of reflection will be related to the labor market, and will focus on managing the employment transition with certainty, so that productivity, social protection and new job opportunities are balanced.
In addition to presenting the AESIA Laboratory, Óscar López has confirmed that Spain will host the first meeting of the UN Scientific Panel on AIwhich will be held in Madrid between April 22 and 24. This body, whose creation was approved last August, and of which Spain has been a facilitator together with Costa Rica, is made up of 40 independent experts appointed by the General Assembly after an open process. Among these experts is the Spanish Román Orús.
The Panel’s mission is to be the link between advanced scientific knowledge and the formulation of public policies. Independent evidence-based assessments by its members will enable the international community to anticipate emerging challenges and develop strategies for effective AI governance.
It’s Panel will issue an annual report, the findings of which will be presented to the Member States in the UN General Assembly and in the Global Dialogue. It is therefore an initiative that seeks to advance the promotion of safe, ethical and inclusive use of AI.
