An Institutional Milestone: The First Digital Transformation Ministerial Meeting
On November 3, 2026, the Royal Mint and Stamp Factory in Madrid hosted the First Ibero-American Ministerial Meeting on Digital Transformation and AI, a unique space in the history of the Ibero-American Conference. This gathering, which brought together the heads of digitalization portfolios from the 22 member countries, was held as a direct precursor to the XXX Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government, scheduled for November 4 and 5.
The creation of this forum responds to the recent institutionalization of the subject in the region, where several governments have established specific ministries or agencies for digital transformation. The stated objective was to lay the foundations for a common vision on responsible AI use, establishing cooperation mechanisms that protect individual rights and reduce digital gaps across the continent.
The Ibero-American Artificial Intelligence Alliance: Structure and Objectives
The central outcome of the day was the approval of the Ibero-American Artificial Intelligence Alliance, a regional cooperation agreement designed to strengthen the digital and cultural sovereignty of Ibero-America. This document was elevated for final adoption before the heads of state, remaining open to voluntary accession by all member states of the Conference.
The Alliance is structured around three specific work pillars: cooperation for access to quality data, the development of AI models adapted to regional languages, and collaboration in computing capabilities. Unlike a single infrastructure, it proposes a federated data space where each country decides what information to share and under what conditions, respecting its national legal framework.
Three Cooperation Pillars: Data, Languages, and Computing
Quality Data for the Public Interest
The first pillar, centered on data, seeks to create an Ibero-American Data Space for the development of public interest AI systems. The logic is that models trained with representative corpora of the region's priorities, languages, and cultural contexts will better respond to local needs than imported solutions.
Models Adapted to Regional Languages
The second pillar drives the development of language models that improve the representation of Spanish, Portuguese, and indigenous languages. To this end, the Alliance will take as assets previous regional initiatives, such as the ALIA model family, the LATAM GPT project promoted by Chile, or SoberanIA from Brazil, fostering a shared technological base that allows for national adaptations.
Ordered Access to Computing Capabilities
The third pillar addresses access to computing capabilities. The strategy does not contemplate the construction of a new regional infrastructure, but rather the ordering of available resources and the connection of supply with demand to support researchers, administrations, and companies in deploying AI projects.
Estructura de la Alianza Iberoamericana de Inteligencia Artificial
Resumen de los tres ejes de cooperación aprobados y las iniciativas regionales previas que servirán como base tecnológica compartida.
| Acceso a datos de calidad | Espacio federado donde cada país decide qué información comparte y bajo qué condiciones. |
|---|---|
| Modelos en lenguas regionales | Base tecnológica compartida para adaptaciones nacionales. |
| Capacidades de cómputo | Cooperación sin crear una nueva infraestructura regional única. |
| ALIA | Modelos de lenguaje regionales. |
| LATAM GPT | Iniciativa chilena de modelos de IA. |
| SoberanIA | Proyecto brasileño de IA soberana. |
Las iniciativas listadas son ejemplos citados en los acuerdos como activos previos; la implementación final dependerá de la adhesión voluntaria de cada país.
Sources and references1
Madrid Declaration and Digital Governance Standards
Alongside the Alliance, the ministers adopted the Madrid Declaration on Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence. This document establishes a commitment to place people at the center of the transformation, ensuring that rights recognized in the analog world are also respected in digital environments. It promotes a sustainable, responsible, and bias-free adoption of AI.
During the meeting, the Ibero-American Standards for Data Protection and for Identification and Interoperability in Digital Government Services were also validated. Developed by the Ibero-American Data Protection Network and CLAD, these frameworks are non-binding and offer technical guidelines to harmonize data management and digital identity among countries, respecting national priorities.
The Ibero-American Digital Forum: The Prior Debate Framework
The ministerial meeting was preceded by the Ibero-American Digital Forum, a dialogue space that brought together global references in AI, digital rights, and cybersecurity. The forum featured presentations by figures such as Mexican activist Olimpia Coral, scientist Elizabeth Bodine-Baron, and the director of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Mateo Valero.
The debate was organized into four thematic panels: digital rights and protection of minors, connectivity and cybersecurity, digital administration, and trustworthy AI. The participation of ministers from countries such as Uruguay, Portugal, Chile, the Dominican Republic, and Brazil allowed for contrasting national policies and enriching the conversation of the representatives who would later sign the agreements.
Implications for Regulation and Regional Technological Cooperation
The approval of these agreements marks a change in the Ibero-American technological strategy, which seeks to develop what the Spanish Government calls a third technological path. This approach aims to create an innovative and competitive AI ecosystem, but also ethical and safe, avoiding exclusive dependence on large foreign providers.
For companies and technology professionals, the Alliance implies the future existence of shared reference frameworks for interoperability and data protection. Although the standards are non-binding, their adoption will facilitate cross-border collaboration and the creation of digital solutions that respect the linguistic and cultural diversity of the region, which sums more than 700 million inhabitants.
