Roger Cuartielles, from Learn to Check, participates in a report on AI for the Parliament of Catalonia
The report, entitled AI: Challenges and opportunities for parliaments and public powers, is the second in a series on AI and democracy promoted by EPTA members (European Parliamentary Technology Assessment). It is structured in three main areas: the impact of AI on democracy, its application in public institutions and the regulatory challenges of its regulation.
AI and democracy: digital sovereignty, elections and fundamental rights
The report warns that the introduction of AI in democratic processes can alter the quality and legitimacy of political representation, especially if applied without ethical, technical and institutional guarantees. It highlights, for example, the risk of disinformation in electoral periods, the weakening of the powers of human actors in decision-making, and the need to preserve digital sovereignty, avoiding dependence on external platforms and infrastructures, often controlled by private actors in the US.
In Catalonia, AI has already taken its first steps in the electoral field: parties such as En Comú Podem, Junts per Catalunya or Ciudadanos have used generative tools to create campaign materials. But, according to the report, the use is still exploratory and it is necessary to establish security, transparency and accountability protocols, such as those already deployed by the Cybersecurity Agency of Catalonia during electoral processes.
The challenge of a parliamentary AI: opportunities and risks
The Parliament of Catalonia is one of the few that has begun to explore the uses of AI in the legislative field. Although the use is still incipient – only 6% of parliamentarians used it in 2020 – the report points to multiple areas where these technologies could be useful: drafting amendments, legislative research, citizen consultations or administrative transparency.
However, it also stresses the need to guarantee the quality of data, adequately train personnel, and prevent automated systems from replacing political and human criteria in matters of institutional relevance. One of the most significant risks is that AI tools can introduce biases or errors that violate fundamental rights, such as the principle of equality, if their application is not monitored.
The report recommends that parliaments develop specific ethical guidelines, with clear criteria on transparency, privacy, human supervision and accountability, inspired by initiatives such as those of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy.
The public sector and the Catalan strategy of AI
At an institutional level, the Government of Catalonia has promoted the Catalonia.AI Strategy and projects such as Aina, which seeks to ensure the presence of Catalan in AI systems, and the experimental use of generative chats to attend citizen consultations or simplify legal texts. Predictive algorithms are also used in areas such as the prison system.
These initiatives, according to the report, must be subjected to ethical and technical audits, with the supervision of organs such as the Observatory of Ethics in Artificial Intelligence of Catalonia (OEIAC), to guarantee their transparency and safety.
Regulation: between innovation and the protection of rights
The document devotes a substantial part to analysing the regulatory challenges posed by AI. At European level, the approval of the European Artificial Intelligence Regulation (AI Act) stands out, which aims to establish a legal framework to promote safe, ethical and controlled use of AI. In Catalonia, this framework is complemented by initiatives such as the approval of codes of conduct and the supervision of algorithms by public authorities.
The report stresses the need to regulate the use of AI with a democratic vision, with special emphasis on data protection, cybersecurity, the fight against disinformation and respect for human rights. It also stresses the importance of effective public control, which prevents the technology industry from unilaterally marking the rules of the game.
The report of the Parliament of Catalonia is a call to critically reflect on the incorporation of AI in public decision-making spaces, warning that without clear regulation and robust control measures, these technologies can undermine the foundations of democracy they seek to modernize.
Through the analysis of cases, interviews and international references, the document offers a guide for legislators, governments and citizens on how to make responsible, ethical and sovereign use of artificial intelligence, placing the defense of democratic rights and values at the center of the technological debate.
