#spain - AlgorithmWatch

MidJourney - A student is taking an exam at her computer, seen from the back. Next to her, a cell phone on a tripod is filming her.

Story, 18 July 2023

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.

Photo by Tobias Messer on Unsplash

Story, 5 June 2023

ChatGPT-like models boom, but small languages remain in shadows

A 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.

CC-BY-SA Pattiz-Wikimedia Commons

Story, 16 May 2023

Abu Dhabi petrodollars land in European AI but opacity sparks criticism

Abu 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.

CC-BY Nelson L. on Flickr

Story, 30 March 2023

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.

CC-BY N O E L | F E A N S

Story, 1 February 2023

What to expect from Europe’s first AI oversight agency

Spain 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.

Photo by Enric

Story, 25 May 2021

In Catalonia, the RisCanvi algorithm helps decide whether inmates are paroled

Eleven 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.

Ed Westcott|Wikimedia

Story, 27 October 2020

Spanish police plan to extend use of its lie-detector while efficacy is unclear

Veripol 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.

Luis García |Wikimedia

Story, 11 August 2020

Spain’s largest bus terminal deployed live face recognition four years ago, but few noticed

Madrid South Station’s face recognition system automatically matches every visitor’s face against a database of suspects, and shares information with the Spanish police.

Melanie Wasser|Unsplash

Story, 27 April 2020

In Spain, the VioGén algorithm attempts to forecast gender violence

As 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.