Barcelona, March 10 – The Barcelona City Council is significantly accelerating the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in its daily management and citizen services. This initiative, building on pilot programs launched in 2021, was formally presented today by Mayor Jaume Collboni and Emili Rubió, manager of the Barcelona Institute of Technology (BIT), formerly the Municipal Institute of Informatics.
Barcelona’s ‘Ethical, Democratic, and Sustainable AI Adoption Strategy’
The new plan, titled ‘Strategy for the ethical, democratic, and sustainable adoption of AI,’ aims to integrate AI while upholding the city’s core values. Mayor Collboni emphasized the city’s commitment to innovation and research, stating that the adoption of AI will be purposeful and not arbitrary, reflecting Barcelona’s identity as a hub for technological advancement.
Key AI Projects for Immediate and Future Implementation
Among the immediate and near-future projects are:
- Housing Information Chatbot: An AI-powered virtual assistant providing information on housing and rental issues, already active on the municipal website in Catalan, Spanish, and English. It utilizes generative AI based on internal sources to ensure reliability, aiming to reduce repetitive inquiries and streamline initial guidance.
- Portable Automatic Translation Devices: The acquisition of 180 portable devices for real-time automatic translation. These will be used by municipal workers in citizen service offices and social services, particularly in situations involving multiple languages. Pilot tests have been successfully conducted in social services centers, emergency services, citizen attention points, and refugee assistance centers.
- Citizen Service Assistant: An AI assistant designed to support citizens through various administrative procedures.
For the not-so-immediate future, the City Council is collaborating with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) to explore tools that will:
- Expedite Activity License Approvals: Streamline the complex process of granting activity licenses, which often involve numerous overlapping regulations.
- Improve Grant Management: Enhance bureaucratic processes for the application, concession, and verification of subsidized projects.
- Support Urban Guard: Develop assistants for the local police force.
- Analyze Mobility Impact: Assess the impact of public works or events on urban mobility.
AI’s Role in Enhancing Efficiency, Not Eliminating Jobs
Addressing concerns about potential job displacement, Rubió clarified that the strategy is not intended to eliminate employment but rather to eliminate tasks that lack added value. He noted that municipal employees themselves are requesting automation of processes, and even more advanced solutions. The goal is to free workers from manual, often undesirable tasks, allowing them to focus on higher-value activities and improve service quality. Rubió stressed that human supervision will always be the final step in any AI-driven process, ensuring that AI tools assist rather than dictate decisions.
Budget and Ethical Considerations
The AI strategy has a budget of 9.4 million euros over the next three years, representing 3% of the municipal budget. This allocation brings Barcelona closer to leading technology cities like London or Seattle, which dedicate approximately 4% of their budgets to technology.
During a panel discussion, Cristian Canton, director of the Supercomputing Center, highlighted the rapid AI adoption in places like Silicon Valley but cautioned against potential inequalities that these tools could create if not implemented prudently.
Rubió emphasized that Barcelona is not starting from scratch but is entering a new phase of intensive and rapid AI adoption, guided by public governance. He acknowledged the legal limitations that can sometimes slow down implementation and the need for caution to avoid biases or inequities. Initially, the focus will be on scalable services that significantly impact citizen attention and employee tasks.
Key principles guiding AI implementation include human supervision, data privacy and quality, democratic accountability, system reliability (robustness and security), transparency, diversity and inclusion, and sustainability (minimizing resource consumption). The strategy encompasses six axes, 21 objectives, and 37 concrete actions, including the establishment of an AI Office.
Impact on Citizens and the Future of Public Services
The City Council’s commitment to AI aims to transform public services by making them more efficient, accessible, and responsive to citizen needs. The housing information assistant, for example, was initially conceived for internal use but was made available to the public due to its utility. This proactive approach underscores Barcelona’s dedication to leveraging technology for the benefit of its residents while maintaining a strong ethical framework.
Source: https://elpais.com/espana/catalunya/2026-03-10/barcelona-acelera-la-implantacion-de-la-ia-en-su-administracion-asistente-de-informacion-sobre-vivienda-o-traductores-para-los-servicios-sociales.html
