The Bottom Line
- New AI Compliance on the Horizon: A forthcoming national law on AI governance will introduce new compliance obligations for companies using or developing AI systems in Spain, likely complementing the EU AI Act.
- Modernized Reputational Risk: The draft law on the “right to honour” will update the legal framework for protecting corporate and executive reputations in the digital age, impacting how businesses manage online defamation and misinformation.
- Prepare for New Regulations: The advancement of these two laws signals a clear legislative push. Businesses should begin assessing their AI usage and online reputation management strategies in anticipation of new rules and potential liabilities.
The Details
Spain’s legislative agenda is moving forward on two fronts critical to modern business: Artificial Intelligence and digital reputation. In a key procedural step, the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), the governing body of Spain’s judges, has officially approved its mandatory reports on draft legislation in both areas. This approval clears the path for these proposals to proceed through parliament, making their eventual enactment much more likely. The two proposals are a draft Law for the “Good Use and Governance of Artificial Intelligence” and a draft Organic Law on the “Civil Protection of the Right to Honour, Personal and Family Privacy, and Self-Image.”
The proposed AI law signals Spain’s intent to establish a specific national framework for this transformative technology. While the EU’s AI Act creates a pan-European foundation, this Spanish law will almost certainly add another layer of regulatory detail. For CEOs and legal counsel, this means anticipating new national standards, potential registration requirements for certain AI systems, and the establishment of a Spanish AI supervisory authority. Companies deploying AI in everything from customer service and marketing analytics to recruitment will need to monitor this law’s development closely to ensure their technology strategy remains compliant.
Simultaneously, the new Organic Law on the “Right to Honour” aims to modernize protections for privacy and reputation in the digital age. Spain’s existing law dates back to 1982, long before the challenges of social media, viral misinformation, and deepfakes. This updated legislation will provide new legal tools to address online attacks on corporate and personal reputations. For businesses, this could mean more effective avenues for combating false online reviews and defamatory content, but it may also bring heightened scrutiny on how they handle data and public communications.
Source
Consejo General del Poder Judicial
