AESIA in La Coruña: Spain leads the AI race in the European Union

The Ministry of Digital Transformation and Public Administration, through its State Secretariat for Digitization and Artificial Intelligence, has launched the selection process for the Director General of the Spanish Agency for the Supervision of Artificial Intelligence (AESIA). This agency, based in La Coruña, has become a European pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and aims to promote a national debate on the opportunities and risks of this technology.

Interested candidates can submit their application by May 9 via an expression of interest. The selection process will be rigorous and transparent. A selection and evaluation committee appointed by the AESIA Chairman will assess each candidate individually.

The selection process has attracted a great deal of interest with 106 applications submitted. Candidates come from a wide range of backgrounds, from business to academia. They must meet criteria such as academic and technical AI experience and collaboration with various national and international stakeholders.

Timetable and nomination

After reviewing the applications, the Acting President of AESIA (currently the Secretary of State for Digitization and Artificial Intelligence) will present the selected candidate to the Board of Directors. According to the Agency's statutes, approved by Royal Decree 729/2023, the Board of Directors is responsible for the official nomination of the Director General.

The ambitious timetable foresees the selection of the Director General by the end of May, followed by the selection of the staff in June. Although a specific start date has not yet been set, the agency is expected to become operational "as soon as possible".

The creation of AESIA is an important milestone for Spain and the EU. The agency will play a crucial role in Spain's AI strategy and will be the first AI regulator in the EU. AESIA will also play an international role, exchanging with similar bodies around the world and participating in European bodies arising from EU regulations.

AESIA is an important step for Spain and the EU in the regulation of AI. With its creation, Spain is taking a pioneering role in AI supervision and setting a precedent for other countries.

AESIA raises high expectations in the technology sector and its leadership should contribute to the safe and ethical development of AI in Spain and Europe.