Spain's Strategic Role in Europe's AI-Driven Scientific Leadership

Javier García Martínez, a prominent chemist and member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, highlights the urgency for Europe—and Spain in particular—not to fall behind in the AI-fueled technological race shaping the future global economy. He points to the United States’ ambitious Misión Génesis initiative, designed as a massive AI platform to transform how scientific research is conducted, akin to the historical impact of the Manhattan Project or the Apollo program. This initiative integrates federal scientific databases with supercomputing to double U.S. economic productivity within a decade.

Martínez argues that Europe should not merely emulate Misión Génesis but develop its own AI-driven scientific strategy that leverages its unique strengths. In this context, Spain’s advanced infrastructures like the MareNostrum 5 supercomputer position it as a vital contributor to such continental ambitions.

AI's transformative impact is already evident in fields like chemistry and nanotechnology, including breakthroughs such as the discovery of the antibiotic abaucina that combats resistant bacteria. Yet Martínez also cautions about AI’s potential biases prioritizing established research at the expense of innovative, long-term projects. He stresses the importance of transparent public governance in AI-driven scientific decision-making to balance machine intelligence with human creativity and ethical oversight.

Meanwhile, Constantino Fernández, president of Spanish tech consulting firm Altia, underscores Spain’s necessity to overcome digital inferiority beliefs and the need for stronger policies supporting medium-sized enterprises vital to tech innovation. Fernández also identifies talent retention amid rapid digital change as a key challenge.

Together, these perspectives illuminate Spain’s strategic position and the critical steps needed to harness AI for leading scientific innovation within Europe.