Escrivá cools expectations with the AI Agency and recognizes the difficulty of attracting talent

The Minister of Digital Transformation and Public Function, José Luis Escrivá, acknowledged yesterday in his parliamentary debut with his new portfolio that the National Agency for the Supervision of Artificial Intelligence (AESIA) still has a long way to go to become fully operational with difficulties such as finding the right talent.

“It's a complex world. It requires professionals that do not exist in the Public Administration and we have to see how to attract them,” said the Minister of Digital Transformation in a tone that contrasts with the initial enthusiasm of the Government and the previous Secretary of State for AI, Carme Artigas..

The Government urgently processed the creation of this Agency and its statute while in office to claim the title of “the first country in the world with an agency to supervise AI”. However, experts have already raised concerns about its formation and the limited scope of its functions.

As a notable example, the institution does not even have a website, despite having a budget of five million euros from 2022. In comparison, the Spanish Space Agency, another newly formed institution, has already launched its first job postings.

In his speech, Escrivá himself admitted that Spain established the Agency before the European reference framework was established to determine the nature of these AI supervisory agencies, which are expected to be coordinated by a larger European authority..

The minister, however, argued that the community framework does not necessitate the Agency’s independence, although he acknowledged that there is room for debate, as his government partner, Sumar, has claimed. “I sympathize with these perspectives because I chaired the AIREF,” Escrivá said, referencing his support for independent agencies.

According to the minister, the initial goal of the Agency should be to initially “establish analytical and methodological capabilities” that will eventually enable it to carry out its supervisory role.. Last week, during a visit to Galicia, where AESIA will be headquartered, Escrivá had already suggested that he envisions the agency’s initial stage as a “powerful” think tank that requires greater legislative clarification in order to function as the digital world’s supervisor that it is intended to be.

This perspective contradicts the plans of the former SEDIA teams, which prioritized the creation of a “national seal of responsible artificial intelligence” ahead of the future European AI Regulation certification. Several market sources deemed this idea to be “illogical” since there is minimal incentive for a company to wait a few months for the European seal..

The government recently hired Deloitte to develop this seal and provide advice on the structure of the agency, which has only just established its Governing Council..