The OECD.AI Policy Navigator

Given the need to reinforce HPC capacities and adapt to generative AI developments, and building on consultation with representatives from industry and academia, Spain released an updated national AI strategy in May 2024.

Leveraging on 3 pillars (Community, Applications and Infrastructure), PresidencIA builds AI literacy among staff through workshops, community and best practices, develops custom AI tools for processes in the PM’s Office, and pursues on-premises AI infrastructure for tech sovereignty. It also works to position Spain as a partner for leading AI labs on safety and alignment. The programme addresses the gap between AI’s potential and practical government capacity.

PALOMA is an artificial intelligence system that makes phone calls to people over 75 who live alone to detect situations of unwanted loneliness. It conducts short conversations with a natural sounding voice, identifies risk signals, and offers information or municipal follow up. The project helps reach more people, detect needs earlier, and connect them quickly with social support.

MencIA is a sovereign AI strategy that aims to offer a Platform as a Service (PaaS) to 66 municipalities in the province of Lugo with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants. It will enable local councils to adopt secure, local, open-source AI tools, avoiding dependence on large corporations. The initiative will bridge the digital divide, ensuring that small towns benefit from AI through publicly controlled technology, privacy by design, and efficiency.

The set of 16 guidelines is an initiative developed within the Spanish AI regulatory sandbox pilot to support implementation of the European Artificial Intelligence Act. It includes introductory, technical and checklist materials providing practical recommendations to help organisations comply with regulatory obligations. The guides are non-binding, aligned with EU requirements, structured across thematic areas, and subject to ongoing review and updates as standards and EU guidance evolve.