Barcelona, Catalonia, has taken a new step on generative artificial intelligence, with Barcelona City Council publishing a guide for the ethical use of the technology by its communication, advertising and design suppliers.
The document, titled Generative Artificial Intelligence Use Guide: Good Practices and Limits, is described by the council as the first municipal guide of its kind in Spain. It sets out a framework for council communication and marketing work that uses AI, with the aim of keeping it within ethical and legal limits.
The guide says generative AI can support communication processes, but it also carries risks that should be identified, assessed and reduced where possible. It is aimed at professionals working in illustration, production, translation, communication agencies and creative teams. For more local context, see our news coverage.
The new document builds on the council’s internal protocol for algorithmic systems, which was approved in December 2022. It extends risk management to outside suppliers and fits within the Barcelona Easy Plan, which aims to make the relationship between the council and residents more agile, understandable and accessible.
As part of that plan, the council is also reducing the number of municipal websites by 33% and social media accounts by 38%. The AI guide is presented as another step towards simpler and clearer public communication.
The guide is organised around ethical principles, legal frameworks and practical recommendations. It also includes resources, tools and platforms that comply with data protection rules and copyright law. Barcelona City Council has also approved its broader strategy for the ethical, democratic and sustainable adoption of artificial intelligence, with 37 actions and a budget of €9.4 million.
That wider strategy, presented in March, builds on the council’s first municipal strategy for algorithms and data, launched in 2021. The council says its aim is to support public services that are inclusive, simple, proactive, personalised and efficient, while protecting rights and freedoms.