THE BOTTOM LINE
- New AI Compliance on the Horizon: Spain is advancing a new law to govern the use of Artificial Intelligence. Businesses deploying or developing AI systems should prepare for a new national regulatory framework, likely establishing a supervisory authority and specific compliance duties.
- Reputation and Privacy Rules to be Modernized: A separate draft law will update Spain’s foundational rules on the “right to honor,” privacy, and personal image. This will directly impact how companies manage online reputation, media relations, and potential defamation claims in the digital age.
- Legislative Process is Moving Forward: Spain’s General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) has issued its mandatory reports on these draft bills. This is a critical step, indicating the government is actively moving these significant legal changes toward parliamentary debate and approval.
THE DETAILS
Spain’s top judicial governing body, the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), has formally completed its review of two significant draft laws set to reshape the business landscape. The first is a bill on the “proper use and governance of Artificial Intelligence,” and the second is an Organic Law modernizing the civil protection of the right to honor, privacy, and personal image. While the CGPJ’s report is a technical and non-binding part of the legislative process, its review is a mandatory step that signals these proposals are advancing and provides a strong indication of the judiciary’s perspective, which often influences the final legislation.
The proposed AI governance law marks Spain’s effort to create a specific national framework to complement the broader EU AI Act. For business leaders, this means preparing for a new layer of oversight. The law is expected to establish a national AI supervisory authority, outline rules for high-risk systems, and potentially create “regulatory sandboxes” for innovation. CEOs and legal counsel should anticipate new requirements for risk assessment, data governance, and transparency for any AI tools used in their operations, from HR and recruiting to customer service and product development.
Simultaneously, the update to the law protecting the “right to honor” is a direct response to the challenges of the digital era. This foundational law, which governs defamation, privacy, and the use of a person’s image, will be modernized to address issues like online harassment, the spread of misinformation, and digital impersonation. For companies, this could mean a heightened risk of litigation over public statements, marketing campaigns, and user-generated content on their platforms. The new law will likely clarify liability and provide updated remedies for individuals whose reputations are harmed online, demanding a proactive review of corporate communication and content moderation policies.
SOURCE
Source: Consejo General del Poder Judicial
