Spanish National Police Halts Veripol, Its Flagship AI To Detect False ReportsThe Ministry of Interior stated that it dismissed the system on the grounds that it had been proved being of no validity in judicial proceedings.
Spanish Inmates Not to Be Automatically Monitored in Fear of AI ActSpanish region Catalonia’s government approved the use of an Artificial Intelligence-based software to monitor inmates and interpret their behavior. Partially funded by the European Union, the system was to be implemented at the Mas d'Enric prison near Tarragona, a city south of Barcelona, and extended to other regional prisons. Ultimately, it wasn't.
200 students failed their exams. Automated proctoring could be to blame, but doubts remain In Spain, 200 students of the International University of La Rioja failed their exams. Some blame a glitch in the proctoring software, but it might have been a change in the system’s rules. University officials gave contradictory explanations, leaving students to fight against bureaucracy and the assessment of a machine.
ChatGPT-like models boom, but small languages remain in shadowsA lack of source material, investment, and commercial prioritization are all holding back the development of generative models and automated moderation for languages spoken in smaller countries and regions.
Abu Dhabi petrodollars land in European AI but opacity sparks criticismAbu Dhabi, a small petrostate, announced a major investment in Artificial Intelligence in Spain. Some academics and activists suspect that the emirate may not be interested solely in furthering scientific research.
Basque Country: how an algorithm to assess the risk of gender-based violence sees people from “different cultures”Police in the Basque Country use an algorithm to predict gender-based violence. The tool's accuracy is unclear, and it leaves a lot of room for the personal opinions of police officers.
What to expect from Europe’s first AI oversight agencySpain announced the first national agency for the supervision of Artificial Intelligence. In its current shape, the plan is very industry-friendly and leaves little space to civil society.
In Catalonia, the RisCanvi algorithm helps decide whether inmates are paroledEleven years ago, the Catalonian Department of Justice, in Spain, introduced RisCanvi, a system that estimates the risk that inmates reoffend upon leaving prison. All Catalonian prisons use it, but the tool is hardly transparent.
Spanish police plan to extend use of its lie-detector while efficacy is unclearVeripol is a software that assesses the veracity of complaints filed with the Spanish national police. It was introduced in 2018, but it’s unclear if it works as intended.
Spain’s largest bus terminal deployed live face recognition four years ago, but few noticedMadrid South Station’s face recognition system automatically matches every visitor’s face against a database of suspects, and shares information with the Spanish police.
In Spain, the VioGén algorithm attempts to forecast gender violenceAs part of a program to curb feminicides, Spain built VioGén, an algorithm that assesses the risk faced by victims of gender violence. It remains a work in progress.
