The president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has issued a harsh warning this Thursday about the algorithms that underpin new technologies, which, he has denounced, are designed to "enslave us," "distort public debate," "turn our attention into profit," and "destroy our rights and institutions." At the same time, he has pointed directly at the owners of the big tech companies: "Do not let them blind you with their money."
During his speech at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum at Harvard University, the head of the Executive has emphasized that "45% of young people" are already informed through new platforms and that "around 70% use chatbots" to resolve their doubts. In this context, he has presented Spain as a country that can "serve" as a "laboratory" for the regulation of "big tech companies."
In his message to the students who are "working," "creating," and "refining" these systems, Sánchez has asked them to protect the "digital space" just as one cares for "the atmosphere," because "there is only one," and that, to "save it," all countries must "act at the same time." "We need your help (...) you are crucial actors in this fight," he has emphasized.
Sánchez has warned that "these technologies become our oracles, our parents, our teachers, our doctors," and has stressed that these platforms remain controlled by "a few men" who "despise democratic institutions," "the laws," and "the liberal values that have guided our society since the end of World War II."
The president has equated this situation with a "new nuclear race," "except for the distance." In his view, "the most powerful capabilities" are no longer "being developed by states," "but by private companies." All of this, he has criticized, "without transparency, without accountability, without control. (...) And the question is how do we move forward."
Against those who argue that it is unfeasible to regulate these platforms and technologies like artificial intelligence, Sánchez has rejected the argument of those "politicians" who claim that they are "too complex and fast to be stopped" and that, therefore, cannot be subjected to clear rules.
For this reason, he has defended that "democracies and states are still more powerful than technological oligarchs" and has urged not to place "the future of humanity in the hands of a few millionaires."
At the same time, he has acknowledged that artificial intelligence can "help" in areas such as the fight against climate change, the reduction of inequality, or the promotion of economic growth. He specified that he does not propose its elimination, but rather "to control it and supervise it," and "to decrease its development" until achieving a way to "make this technology safe."
Regarding the Spanish regulatory framework, the president has claimed measures to keep minors under 16 years old away from social networks and the "public tools" created to "measure" hate in these spaces, in addition to the specific regulation on 'influencers.'
"Those who create the risk and the benefit of it must also bear the responsibility," Sánchez has emphasized, who has highlighted the launch of the first European agency dedicated to the supervision of artificial intelligence.