Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, has issued a warning regarding what he terms the 'technocaste,' referring to influential tech magnates from Silicon Valley, on the day of Donald Trump's inauguration as the President of the United States.

Speaking at the 'HispanIA 2040: How Artificial Intelligence Will Improve Our Future' event, Sánchez highlighted concerns over these figures using their substantial influence on social media to sway public discourse against Western interests.

During his speech, attended by members of his cabinet, as well as entrepreneurs and tech researchers, Sánchez announced the release of the first models of Alia, an artificial intelligence system developed in Spanish and co-official languages, utilizing public resources and open-source code.

This initiative is part of a broader strategy to incorporate AI technology into Spanish business sectors.

Sánchez emphasized that AI itself holds no inherent agency or goals, stressing the importance of regulation to ensure technology reduces inequality and serves humanity, rather than reinforcing existing power structures.

He underscored the potential for technologies to consolidate the status quo and enhance the wealth and power of the elite.

Summarizing his views succinctly, Sánchez remarked, 'Democracy is not a euro a vote, a tweet a vote, it is one person, one vote.' He called on Europe to stand firm against the perceived threat to democratic processes posed by new technological oligarchs.

In a move to bolster the use of AI in the Spanish economy, Sánchez announced a budget of €150 million, with €20 million earmarked specifically for application in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The roll-out of ALIA will also commence with pilot projects aimed at streamlining operations within the Tax Agency and enhancing cardiac insufficiency diagnoses in primary healthcare.

ALIA, which aligns with Spain's national AI strategy, is designed to stand out with its commitment to transparency.

Plans are also underway to develop smaller, sector-specific language models.

Sánchez highlighted the advantages intrinsic to Spain's linguistic diversity, underlining the need to continue integrating AI technologies into the national economic framework.