Spain became one of the first countries in the European Union to establish its own task force for regulating Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Spanish Agency for the Supervision of Artificial Intelligence (AESIA) should guarantee, along with the national digital strategy, that the AI development in the country will be “inclusive, sustainable, and citizen-centered.”
On Aug. 22, the Council of Ministers approved a Royal Decree, establishing the AESIA. The Agency will be formed by joint efforts of the Spanish Ministry of Finance and Civil Service and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation.
The Agency is a part of the plan, called the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy. Spain aims to position itself as a leader in AI. According to the press release, it became the first European country to establish a special agency for AI.
In June, the European Union passed the Artificial Intelligence Act, a legislative framework for governance and oversight of AI. Once enacted, the legislation would impose restrictions on a range of artificial intelligence services and products, while outright prohibiting others.
Among the technologies that would face a complete ban are biometric surveillance, social scoring systems, predictive policing algorithms, emotion recognition software, and untargeted facial recognition systems.
However, generative AI models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard would be permitted to operate, provided that their outputs are conspicuously marked as AI-generated. The EU AI Act obliges all Union countries to establish national agencies overseeing Artificial Intelligence.
Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield has resigned from the Labour Party.
The 53-year-old MP is the first to jump ship since the general election and in her resignation letter criticised the prime minister for accepting thousands of pounds worth of gifts.
She told Sir Keir Starmer the reason for leaving now is “the programme of policies you seem determined to stick to”, despite their unpopularity with the electorate and MPs.
In her letter she accused the prime minister and his top team of “sleaze, nepotism and apparent avarice” which are “off the scale”.
“I’m so ashamed of what you and your inner circle have done to tarnish and humiliate our once proud party,” she said.
Since December 2019, the prime minister received £107,145 in gifts, benefits, and hospitality – a specific category in parliament’s register of MPs’ interests.
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Ms Duffield, who has previously clashed with the prime minister on gender issues, attacked the government for pursuing “cruel and unnecessary” policies as she resigned the Labour whip.
She criticised the decision to keep the two-child benefit cap and means-test the winter fuel payment, and accused the prime minister of “hypocrisy” over his acceptance of free gifts from donors.
“Since the change of government in July, the revelations of hypocrisy have been staggering and increasingly outrageous,” she said.
“I cannot put into words how angry I and my colleagues are at your total lack of understanding about how you have made us all appear.”
Ms Duffield also mentioned the recent “treatment of Diane Abbott”, who said she thought she had been barred from standing by Labour ahead of the general election, before Sir Keir said she would be allowed to defend her Hackney North and Stoke Newington seat for the party.
Her relationship with the Labour leadership has long been strained and her decision to quit the party comes after seven other Labour MPs were suspended for rebelling by voting for a motion calling for the two-child benefit cap to be abolished.
“Someone with far-above-average wealth choosing to keep the Conservatives’ two-child limit to benefit payments which entrenches children in poverty, while inexplicably accepting expensive personal gifts of designer suits and glasses costing more than most of those people can grasp – this is entirely undeserving of holding the title of Labour prime minister,” she said.
Ms Duffield said she will continue to represent her constituents as an independent MP, “guided by my core Labour values”.