Spain launches Plan IA360 to regulate artificial intelligence and calls for October social pact

Rejection of corporate self-regulation

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez presented the 12-month Plan IA360 roadmap at the Moncloa Complex on Monday, arguing that the governance of artificial intelligence cannot remain solely in the hands of private developers. Speaking before business executives and government ministers, Sánchez rejected appeals from technology firms for market self-regulation, referencing recent statements made by OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman. Sánchez argued that the financial motives of commercial leaders cannot substitute for public interest protections. Drawing a comparison to nineteenth-century American railroad magnate William Vanderbilt, who dismissed public concerns before federal antitrust laws were enacted, Sánchez stated that technology oligarchs must remain subject to collective democratic oversight.

“An unregulated, opaque AI on a stampede and in the hands of a few is the perfect cocktail for a misfortune to happen.”

The four pillars of Plan IA360

The strategy details executive measures organized across four structural pillars to be deployed over the next twelve months. The first pillar focuses on technological infrastructure, incorporating a planned artificial intelligence gigafactory alongside domain-specific models developed in partnership with the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre for healthcare, climate emergency, and energy applications. The plan also establishes rigorous energy and environmental standards for commercial data centres to prevent resource strain and preserve domestic data sovereignty. For economic integration, the second pillar introduces the AI Voucher program to assist small and medium-sized enterprises and self-employed professionals, supporting a national target for more than half of Spanish businesses to incorporate artificial intelligence by 2030.

“We must develop this technology not behind citizens' backs, but in a way that people see it as an opportunity rather than a tool for depleting their scarce resources.”

Education, cybersecurity, and algorithmic risks

The third component strengthens defensive cybersecurity capabilities and risk governance to counter aggressive frontier models. The administration cited rising challenges from deepfakes, intellectual property theft, and mental health risks linked to algorithmic deployment. Educational institutions will adapt secondary school and vocational training curricula to instruct young people on operational AI tools while preserving standard learning processes. According to government figures, nearly half of Spain's working-age population already utilizes generative artificial intelligence, placing the country among the top ten worldwide in adoption rates.

October negotiations for a national social pact

To address workplace disruption and employment transitions, Sánchez announced that the government will open multilateral negotiations in October to draft a new social contract for artificial intelligence. The talks will convene trade unions, business associations, political parties, and public administrations under the direct leadership of the prime minister. Five cabinet ministers attended the strategy launch, including Minister of Economy Carlos Cuerpo, Minister of Labor Yolanda Díaz, Minister of Digital Transformation Óscar López, and Minister of Science and Innovation Diana Morant, alongside economic office director Manuel de la Rocha. The plan follows an earlier announcement by Cuerpo at the 40th Ametic digital economy conference in early September, preparing Spain's regulatory position before Sánchez travels to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.