Pedro Sánchez, at Harvard: 'Some of the algorithms behind technologies such as AI have not been designed to serve us, but to enslave us'

At Harvard University, the president called for action to regulate technology companies in the face of the threat posed by a lack of oversight and transparency.

Pedro Sánchez speaks at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum (Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la Bellacasa)

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, has taken part in the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum, the main platform for political debate and the exchange of ideas at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University's Kennedy School. In his speech, he highlighted the need to promote regulation capable of addressing the risks that tech oligarchies pose to democracies.

The President of the Government of Spain began his speech by referring to the legacy of Louis Brandeis, a Harvard-trained jurist regarded as one of the architects of the American rule of law, drawing a parallel between the late 19th-century struggle against large monopolies and the challenge posed today by the 'new technological oligarchies'. He recalled that Brandeis "believed that prosperity should be shared" and that the only way to guarantee this was to "prevent large concentrations of economic power".

Building on this premise, Pedro Sánchez warned that many of the algorithms underpinning these technologies "are not designed to serve us; they are designed to enslave us". He has also asserted that their purpose is "to undermine our critical thinking, distort public debate and turn our attention into profit", destroying our rights and institutions with the aim of advancing a political agenda that serves only a select few.

He also emphasised that each of these technologies "is controlled by a handful of men who publicly scorn the democratic institutions, laws and liberal values that have guided our societies since the end of the Second World War".

Pedro Sánchez warned of the lack of oversight, transparency and accountability among companies that are developing increasingly powerful capabilities. He therefore urged people to ignore those who claim that deregulation will lead to greater competitiveness, "because speed is useless if we are heading in the wrong direction". In this vein, he emphasised that we need to "find a way to ensure that these technologies benefit us, the citizens, and not just a handful of tech oligarchs".

The Spanish model

In this regard, President Sánchez made it clear that his position is not one of rejection of technological progress. He pointed out that, over the last eight years, the Government of Spain has invested more than 40 billion euros in the development and adoption of technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing, and has championed their potential to tackle challenges such as climate change, demographic decline and inequality. "I am not suggesting that we get rid of these technologies. I am saying that we must control and oversee them", he emphasised. "We should also slow down their development until we find a way to make this technology safe and to channel its power towards the goals we truly have as a society", he added.

Pedro Sánchez outlined the main measures adopted by his Government in this area, including the criminalisation of algorithmic manipulation, restricting access to social media for those under the age of sixteen, the creation of public tools to combat hate speech, and the legislative proposal to hold platform executives legally accountable, emphasising that "those who create the risk and benefit from it must also take responsibility".

He also highlighted that Spain was the first Western country to adopt a Charter of Digital Rights and that it has established Europe's first Artificial Intelligence Supervisory Agency.

Finally, the President of the Government of Spain emphasised the need for joint action, "because the digital space is like the atmosphere: there is only one. If we want to save it, all our countries must act together". He also called on Harvard students and lecturers not to be blinded by money or by the promises of large tech corporations, and to become actively involved in championing democratically controlled technological development.

During the day, President Pedro Sánchez met with the Dean of Harvard College, David Deming, and the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Hopi Hoekstra, as well as holding a meeting with Spanish students and researchers. He also met with the Governor of Massachusetts, Maura Healey, with whom he discussed the challenges faced by those who defend social and democratic rights, gender equality and the rights of migrants.

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