Sánchez charges against technoligarchs and announces a country pact for AI: "Self-regulation does not work"

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, presented this Monday the IA360 Plan with a warning directed at large technology companies. Artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing in companies, classrooms, and daily life, and the Executive wants to intervene in the rules of its development. Sánchez announced that he will convene unions and employers in October to negotiate an agreement on the changes this technology will bring.

The president defended this intervention against those who ask the industry itself to set its limits. "Self-regulation does not work," he stated during the presentation of the plan at La Moncloa. In his opinion, leaving an increasingly powerful technology under the control of a few companies can aggravate risks to security, rights, and democracy.

The Government wants to accelerate its use in the Spanish economy at the same time. According to data from the National Institute of Statistics included in the plan, 21.1% of companies with ten or more employees used AI in the first quarter of 2025. The Executive's goal is for more than half of companies to have incorporated it into their activity by 2030.

Aid for companies and changes in classrooms

One of the planned measures is a 600 million euro voucher to help companies incorporate AI services and solutions. The document specifies that it will finance projects that transform their work processes, and not merely the contracting of licenses. Its design and a first test are planned for the first half of 2027; the general call would arrive before the end of that year.

Sánchez also announced that Secondary and Vocational Training content will be adapted to teach how to use AI and address its risks. The plan includes training for teachers and proposes that tools be used under teacher supervision, so that they help students without replacing their own learning and reasoning.

The roadmap also incorporates projects to increase the country's technological capacity. These include an AI gigafactory still projected, new models developed with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center for areas such as health, energy, and climate, and data centers subject to energy and environmental criteria.

A pact on employment and more AI surveillance

The October call will open negotiations for the so-called "social contract" for AI. The Government proposes bringing together companies, workers, and unions to study how to distribute the benefits of this technology and what guarantees people whose jobs change will need. The plan foresees sectoral tables and a permanent observatory of its impact on the labor market.

Regarding security, Sánchez has promised to reinforce protection against cyberattacks and increase surveillance of the most advanced AI models. The document proposes creating a security institute within the Spanish Agency for the Supervision of Artificial Intelligence, responsible for evaluating risks and advising administrations. Part of its pre-launch evaluations would depend on voluntary agreements with developers.

The president has also asked companies to respond legally and economically for the damages their systems may cause. He cited audiovisual falsifications, mental health problems in children and young people, and the appropriation of works and content. To those who demand that tech companies set their own rules, "no one is above the public interest," he stated.