The Spanish Association of Digital Economy (Adigital) and the Boston Consulting Group (PCG) have presented the fourth edition of the 'Digital Economy Report 2024', which states that the digital economy will represent 24.2% of Spanish GDP in 2023. This acceleration increased by 1.5 points compared to the 2022 figure, reaching 353,000 million euros in 2023, which is close to the objective of reaching a digitization level of 40% in 2030.
Rafael Rilo, head of BCG in Iberia, said, “This is great news as the acceleration of digitization puts Spain on a path of strong growth in the digital economy. We must remember that digitization boosts the growth of the overall economy, increases productivity and has a significant impact on social welfare.
For her part, Susana Voces, president of Adigital, has highlighted the maturity of the digital economy in Spain and improved the government's guidelines in this area. “As we look to the year 2024, it is clear that we will encounter an environment enriched by significant technological advances that will shape strong economic growth. The continuation of this development is evident in the path of digitization and technological innovation that Spain has actively adopted.
Responsible AI as a competitive advantage
As an innovation, this version of the report highlights the expansion of artificial intelligence and its potential to increase economic growth by increasing productivity, recognized as a strategic technology by the European Union.
However, the integration of AI poses significant challenges, especially in terms of ethics, privacy and security, which will slow down its development and use by companies, research centers and public organizations. In fact, 42% of companies say they haven't implemented productive AI because they don't have a strategy for its responsible use.
To mitigate these challenges and accelerate the adoption of AI, the report proposes a responsible approach and establishes a series of guidelines to guide companies in its use. “Responsible AI allows the diffusion and institutionalization of this technology across companies and public administrations,” noted César Tello, General Director of Adigital. “For companies in particular, incorporating responsible AI criteria translates into a competitive advantage, as it allows for early compliance with regulations, increases consumer confidence, and improves talent acquisition and retention.”
