Alexandra Borgeaud
Research expert covering cybersecurity and tech in Latin America
Artificial intelligence (AI) in Spain - statistics & facts
Like everywhere else in the world, artificial intelligence (AI) has been rapidly developing in Spain over the past few years, with the country aiming to position itself as a leading hub for AI innovation in Europe. The revenue generated by the AI market in the South European country is forecast to increase fourfold in the coming years, from around 2.5 billion euros in 2024 to over 11.5 billion euros in 2030. As of 2024, Spain had mobilized 600 million euros in AI investments, a significant portion of which was allocated to the industry, cities, and digitalization sector. Other important investment areas included cloud and big data, as well as cybersecurity.
Chatbots and virtual assistants as the main GenAI use cases in Spanish businesses
From nearly five million in 2024, the number of AI users is Spain is forecast to reach almost 12 million by 2030. Similarly, companies are expected to increase their use of AI tools, reaching an adoption rate of 75 percent by 2030, up from only 10 percent in 2024. The benefits expected by adopting AI in businesses are numerous and considerable, notably in terms of improved security and efficiency, as well as cost reduction. Within Spanish companies, the main use cases for generative AI in 2024 were chatbots and virtual assistants, as well as content generation.Spain needs more AI talent
While an increasing number of companies worldwide are rushing to integrate AI in their business operations and work processes, in Spain as in most countries, the lack of talent and technical skills constitutes the main barrier to generative AI adoption by companies. In 2023, most AI and data professionals in Spain were rather new to the field, with over two-thirds having zero to two years of experience, and about 25 percent working for two to five years. That same year, Spain saw the biggest talent shortages in natural language processing (NLP) engineers and computer vision engineers, with gaps of almost 30 percent in both fields. The gender distribution of AI professionals also leaves much to be desired, with nearly 70 percent of the Spanish AI workforce being men. In line with its National AI strategy, the Spanish government will have to take the necessary measures, notably in terms of education, to ensure Spain stays ahead in a rapidly changing and highly competitive technological environment.
