The UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies (ODET) has reached an agreement with the Spanish Government to establish a specialised Artificial Intelligence (AI) division at the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) headquarters in Valencia. This division will be dedicated to conducting research on developing AI standards and policies, as well as risk classification. It will also support the various initiatives associated with the Global Digital Compact over the next two years.

The announcement followed the formalisation of the Spanish Government’s voluntary contribution to ODET to support global cooperation in artificial intelligence governance. This contribution of 3 million euros is the largest ever made by a country in this area. The Spanish Government’s aim is to ensure that the responsible innovation model being applied for artificial intelligence has international impact and reach.

As the Minister for Digital Transformation and the Civil Service, Óscar López, explained, “Today we are taking another step forward in Spain’s leadership of the multilateral digital agenda. We do not want to use technology to divide countries, but to multiply opportunities.”

Strong commitment
The UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies, Amandeep Singh Gill, thanked the Spanish Government “for its strong commitment and contribution to the UN’s efforts in the area of cooperation on AI governance”, and explained that this contribution “will help advance the recommendations made by the Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Body last year in its final ‘Governing AI for  Humanity’ report.”

In Singh Gill’s view, the agreement will also strengthen international cooperation in its aim to “harness the potential of AI for the benefit of people and the planet, while ensuring respect for international standards and human rights”.

Serving people and progress
Singh Gill took advantage of his visit to participate in the second meeting of the 11 experts who make up the International Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council, which was convened by Minister Óscar López with the intention of advancing the deployment of technology in order to serve people and progress.

During the meeting, Singh Gill also met with representatives from the Spanish AI ecosystem, who attended on behalf of academia, industry and civil society, and were able to share their views on the international dialogue promoted by the United Nations on Governance and AI.

^{Photo: Ministry for Digital Transformation and the Civil Service}