On 26 and 27 February, the 9th National Innovation and Public Services Congress is to be held in Madrid, organised by the Innovation Club with the support of the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Public Function, the National Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, the Royal Mint and the National Cryptology Centre.

On Wednesday 27, the presentation ‘Artificial intelligence in the public administration: myths, legends and realities’, will be given by Antonio Sánchez, innovation manager at Hidraqua. The session will look at the artificial intelligence projects at Dinapsis, the centre for sustainable territorial management owned by the SUEZ Group and Hidraqua in Benidorm. The projects are aimed at helping cities become more sustainable, transforming them into smart tourist destinations.

Thus, the presentation will attempt to define the concept of artificial intelligence, how it has evolved in terms of funding and social interest and how it is likely to develop in the next few years. According to Antonio Sánchez, ‘artificial intelligence (AI) is nothing new, it has been with us for a long time: it is computer programs, it is a contemporary topic with a long future; in general, it will not replace human work but augment it, as there are specific fields where AI already exceeds human capabilities’.