Óscar López urges 'action now' so that AI governance 'does not become a mere wish'

The Minister for Digital Transformation and Civil Service, Óscar López, speaks at the launch of the United Nations AI Governance Lab for Humanity

The Minister for Digital Transformation and Civil Service, Óscar López, has spoken at the launch event of the United Nations AI Governance Lab for Humanity, which was held at the United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Facility Conference Centre in Quart de Poblet (Valencia).

"We are here to send a strong message: AI must serve peace and it must serve people," said López during his speech, which preceded the Valencia Dialogues, which will bring together experts, industry professionals and researchers over two days to serve as a meeting point and disseminate knowledge on AI governance.

A space that, said the minister, "represents a new step forward in Spain's commitment to the development of a multilateral, ethical and reliable AI". "In times of the Palantir Manifesto and the rise of techno-fascism, the Pope and citizens are calling on the United Nations, governments and experts for hope and solutions," said López, who believes that "science and democracy must join forces to transform AI into a virtuous technology that contributes to reducing poverty and the industrial gap between the Global North and the Global South".

"The stakes are enormous," the minister warned, before assuring that "we must all act now if we do not want AI governance to become a mere wish".

In this regard, he highlighted the Spanish government's commitment by recalling the measures it has promoted in recent years, such as the Digital Rights Charter and Observatory, the Spanish AI Supervisory Agency (AESIA), the European AI Regulation (promoted during the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU) and, this week, the law for the good use and governance of AI, approved by the Council of Ministers. "Our efforts will not stop, and here is further proof of our political agenda," said López.

A global coordination body with an important role for Spain

This Lab, under the Office of Digital and Emerging Technologies (UNODET) headed by Amandeep Gill, UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies, will act as a global coordinating body to measure the impact of AI through international governance, risk assessment, multilateral cooperation and support for the UN Global Digital Compact.

It aims to build a shared understanding of how AI is governed in different countries, advance interoperability between governance frameworks and support their implementation in different regions and sectors. Through reports and recommendations, it will support international scientific panels and feed into the decisions of the UN General Assembly.

The location of its head office in Quart de Poblet (Valencia) is due, among other reasons, to the fact that Spain has led recent global AI governance initiatives at the UN, such as the recent process of creating the Scientific Panel or the Global AI Dialogue. In 2025, it pledged a voluntary contribution of three million euros to support these initiatives. The Laboratory is led by Ana García Robles.

Valencia Dialogues

Among the activities to be carried out by the Laboratory, the Valencia Dialogues will be promoted. These dialogues aim to advance substantive contributions to the Lab's work streams, provide concrete and actionable findings, and build a community that supports and contributes to the Lab's priority themes.

This first meeting will bring together some 60 high-level participants, who will take part in a series of technical workshops with small groups of experts from different fields to discuss AI governance issues.

Non official translation