The Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez presented the Madrid gave the Plan IA360 in Madrid on 21 September 2026 and announced October 2026 a round of talks on a social contract for artificial intelligence According to the government, employers’ associations, Trade unions, parliamentarians, representatives of public authorities and the technology sector will come together to define guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace and in public administration.
The focus is on social protections, workplace rights, and rules on transparency, liability and oversight. Sánchez justified the initiative by pointing to the growing concentration of economic and technological power and the need to safeguard the public interest while also ensuring competitiveness. He stressed that voluntary commitments by the industry alone would not be enough for effective regulation.
Alongside the political process, the government presented funding instruments under the IA360 plan. These include a Bono Inteligencia Artificial worth 600 million euros for small and medium-sized businesses and the self-employed. The funding is to be linked to specific milestones and verifiable steps towards adoption, in order to accelerate the uptake of artificial intelligence in Spain while supporting employment and skills.
Trade unions and employers’ associations indicated that they were generally willing to engage in talks. However, they are calling for more precise commitments on workplace participation, training, data protection, liability and financial arrangements. Government sources say the aim is to reach broad consensus that can lead to specific legal and budgetary decisions.
The announcement is part of the wider European debate on regulating artificial intelligence. The key issue will be how national measures are aligned with European Union requirements and how legally binding the outcomes of the talks will be. Procedural questions remain open in particular: what formats will be used, what deadlines will apply, and how will interim results be documented and evaluated publicly?
The government has scheduled the meeting for October 2026; detailed dates have not yet been published. Transparent participation rules, verifiable criteria for measuring impact and clear links to existing employment and administrative law will be crucial to the initiative’s credibility. With the IA360 plan and the proposed social contract, La Moncloa is pursuing a two-pronged approach: promoting the adoption of technology while protecting social standards in Spain.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).