A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between the Ministry for Digital Transformation and the Public Service, IBM, and other organizations to advance Spain’s national artificial intelligence (AI) agenda. The partnership aims to develop open, ethical, and responsible generative AI technologies for practical deployment in Spain.
The collaboration plans to create large language models (LLM) and small language models (SLM) in native Spanish and co-official languages to reduce bias and provide competitive alternatives for the Spanish industry. These models will be developed through a coordinated government approach that leverages IBM’s open source AI framework, allowing communities to contribute and shape the foundational models in Spanish and co-official languages, including Catalan, Basque, Galician, and Valencian.
Minister José Luis Escrivá highlighted AI’s potential for boosting productivity and public service quality while emphasizing the ethical development of technology. IBM aims to support Spain’s AI strategy as a national partner, promoting ethical use and sustainable growth in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries.
President Pedro Sánchez also emphasized Spain’s commitment to ethical AI use in the public sector for economic productivity and strategic autonomy in Europe. Investment in human capital, training, tools, and community-driven AI will benefit Spain’s economy from SMEs to large enterprises. The collaboration will harness AI’s capabilities for economic growth and public service improvement, guided by shared values of responsibility and innovation.
