· Replaces Ignasi Belda, who has been at the forefront of this pioneering institution in Europe since its inception
On the proposal of the Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, María González Veracruz, the Governing Council of the Spanish Agency for Supervision of Artificial Intelligence (AESIA) has agreed to the appointment of Alberto Gago Fernández as the new general director of the public body responsible for ensuring the ethical and safe use of artificial intelligence in Spain.
The appointment of Gago aims to address a new stage in the AESIA, to strengthen it as a tool to provide security and confidence to citizens in the use of artificial intelligence and promote the responsible use of this technology.
The relevance of the election of Gago responds to his deep knowledge of the Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence since its creation in 2020, where in this last stage he has led the Spain Digital 2030 and Internationalization Office. In this unit he has promoted outstanding initiatives such as the National Strategy of Quantum Technologies or the AI Sandbox, as well as the creation of the United Nations AI Governance for Humanity Lab in Valencia and the opening of the Open Source AI Community. The combination of practical, diplomatic and regulatory experience throughout his career places him in an ideal position to transform AESIA into a tool to support citizens in this new phase, in addition to projecting it as an international reference in supervision and governance of artificial intelligence.
The new CEO will take over from Ignasi Belda, architect of the launch of AESIA, a pioneering institution in Europe, since June 2024. In this initial stage, in addition to taking charge of the installation of the agency at its headquarters in A Coruña - whose staff will reach 55 employees in the next quarter -, it has participated in the design of European AI policies where Spain, with the agency, plays a very proactive role in some 20 EU working groups. Likewise, AESIA has collaborated in this period in the creation of the first AI Sandbox, promoted from the Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence. Also noteworthy, under the direction of Belda, is the launch of the citizen channel, which has received more than half a thousand queries for the proper use of artificial intelligence.
Alberto Gago
Alberto Gago has a multidisciplinary training in Translation, European Law, Data Protection and International Relations, complemented with English and French proficiency. She began her career at the European Commission, where she worked for eight years on health policy design — including the creation of the EU Health Policy Platform — and on the development of the European Data Framework, participating in the drafting of the Open Data Directive, the Data Governance Regulation and the Data Regulation. It also managed the Group of Experts on the use of data for the public interest, consolidating a technical and regulatory experience in data governance.
Later, for four years he was an advisor to the Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, where he played a central role in the creation of Gaia X Spain, the design and implementation of the AI regulatory sandbox and the process of constitution of the AESIA. He actively participated in the IA Regulation negotiations during the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council.
In his most recent period, as director of the Spain Digital 2030 and Internationalization Office, he has been key in promoting and implementing the National Strategy of Quantum Technologies, creating the United Nations AI Governance for Humanity Lab in Valencia and representing Spain internationally in the main global forums —United Nations, OECD, G20 and Council of Europe—, as well as promoting cooperation initiatives with Latin America through SEGIB and the EU-LAC Digital Alliance.