· The action will be carried out through Red.es through agreements that develop at least 30 use cases that respond to productive and business needs applicable to different economic sectors
· The objective of these platforms and models of intensive use of artificial intelligence technologies is to guarantee the access of the entire productive fabric of the country to new innovations and disruptive capabilities
· “We have a 360 vision so that the true productive fabric of our country is advancing in those challenges that are a reality and to which we are in a position to respond, as demonstrated by successful measures such as Kit Digital,” said González Veracruz
The Government of Spain will promote a pioneering initiative aimed at democratizing the use of artificial intelligence in startups and SMEs, allocating 40 million euros to facilitate their access to cases of use of artificial intelligence that provide effective solutions to their productive needs.
This was announced today by the Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, María González Veracruz, during her participation in the New Economy Forum, organized by Nueva Economía Forum, anticipating that, with this initiative, startups and SMEs can access artificial intelligence platforms in service mode and develop models that respond to real problems of their business processes.
The action, financed through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in the period 2021-2027, aimed at the development of Spain as an Entrepreneurial Nation, will be channeled through Red.es, a public business entity attached to the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Function, through the Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence. It will be articulated through agreements with collaborating entities that will generate at least 30 use cases applicable to different economic sectors. In addition, based on these practical cases, at least 15 general, reusable and adaptable models will be developed, allowing a large number of SMEs to benefit from artificial intelligence solutions without the need for complex internal developments.
Professional and business associations, technology centres and innovation support centres may participate in these agreements, either individually or in groups of up to five members. The collaborating entities must provide a minimum of 20% of the budget of their project, guaranteeing commitment and sustainability in the implementation. Each agreement can receive up to 12 million euros of funding from Red.es.
The Secretary of State stressed that this initiative not only makes specific artificial intelligence solutions available to SMEs, but also creates an experimental environment where the developed models can be replicated and adapted to different sectors, promoting innovation and increasing the competitiveness of the entire productive fabric.
With this measure, the Government seeks to turn artificial intelligence into a tangible tool to improve efficiency, reduce costs and open new business opportunities in small and medium-sized enterprises in Spain.
Spain, champion in AI ethics and with values
In this regard, in her speech, the Secretary of State stressed that “we have a 360 vision so that the true productive fabric of our country can move forward in those challenges that are a reality and to which we are in a position to respond”, as demonstrated by successful measures such as Kit Digital and Kit Consulting.
In addition to the initiatives to promote the modernization of the business fabric, in the colloquium González Veracruz has focused on issues such as digital sovereignty, highlighting examples such as the family of ALIA models or infrastructures such as AI Factories, emphasizing the defense of a humanist technological deployment: “What we have been doing since the Government of Spain, and I believe that it is the right path, is to be the world champions in ethical artificial intelligence and with values. This that a few years ago could be discussed, to be in doubt, time has given us reason.”
Finally, he asked the question “artificial intelligence for what?”, answering that “to improve health, to improve research, to improve the agri-food sector and, above all, to generate safe digital environments that allow us to protect people”. “Because revolutions, if they’re not with the people at the center, they’re not revolutions, they’re something else we don’t agree with,” he concluded.
