1. We are living through a period of great excitement around artificial intelligence. How would you assess the level of AI adoption among Catalan SMEs? What are the main barriers to entry?
“Catalan SMEs” are a very large and diverse group, so it is probably worth distinguishing between different types of companies.
Based on what we are seeing through the support services we provide to SMEs at the BSC AI Factory, I would highlight the following:
On the one hand, there is a group of technology-based SMEs (ICT applied to all kinds of industries) that operate in a B2B market and are highly prepared. They have advanced AI integration in their products and services, possess high-quality and sufficiently large datasets to support AI applications, and have structured governance frameworks for the use and development of the technology. In reality, they are a minority, but they tend to be highly capable and can serve as important benchmarks for others. These are the organizations that either “build” AI solutions or “integrate and fine-tune” AI-powered products within their own offerings.
On the other hand, there is a long tail of SMEs and micro-enterprises that are primarily users of technology. Essentially, they adopt existing products and attempt to adapt them to their production processes. Here, the challenges include the urgency of not falling behind, the lack of sufficient high-quality data to unlock the full value of AI, the absence of proper governance, and, very often, the shortage of specialized talent capable of leading and managing the use of AI within the SME.
2. Beyond the obvious impact of AI on productivity, what social impacts do you think it will have? How will it affect employment?
It is clear that we are dealing with a central pillar of industrial society: work, productivity, and the way value generated through emerging technologies is captured and distributed. I do not have a crystal ball, but I would recommend a few authors who can help us move beyond the more conventional narratives of worker substitution and/or augmentation.
First, there is Daron Acemoglu, recipient of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Economics, who argues that AI’s impact on productivity may be smaller than many expect (What Do We Know About the Economics of AI?). He also suggests that there is an opportunity to develop and deploy technology in ways that are explicitly pro-worker (Building Pro-Worker Artificial Intelligence).
I would also recommend Sangueet Paul, author of Reshuffle, who encourages us to adopt a more systemic perspective on the impacts of AI. His article The Unexpected Theories That Explain AI Impact on Jobs is particularly worth reading.
At a more local level, I would also highlight the work of Jose Valera from UGT.
There are two specific impacts that have already been studied extensively and deserve particular attention:
- The growing difficulty younger workers face when entering the labor market.
- The loss of human skills and capabilities resulting from excessive dependence on AI.
In summary, the impacts of AI are neither fully understood nor predetermined. We must therefore pay close attention to how these changes unfold and maintain an ongoing public conversation to help ensure that technology is deployed in ways that benefit society as a whole.
3. How do you think labor relations will evolve as a result of accelerating technological change? How will these changes affect opportunities for entrepreneurship and self-employment?
One useful way to explore the impact of technology on the future of work is through the framework of “work, workforce, and workplace.” This refers to the impact of technology on tasks and job functions, the configuration and management of the workforce and teams, and the spaces and timing of work. I have explored these three dimensions in greater depth in a related article.
A first conclusion is that technology will have many different impacts, often moving in different directions simultaneously. Moreover, the way technology is adopted and applied will vary significantly from one sector to another. The impact on someone working in a school, for example, will not be the same as for someone working in a supermarket or in an office environment.
What is important to remember is that we have agency. We have the ability to influence how technology affects our work and our industries. The Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strike was an early example of this. More recently, we have seen strikes by voice actors and dubbing professionals in Spain in response to the use of AI. We are also seeing issues such as AI and remote work increasingly becoming part of collective bargaining agreements and sector-wide labor negotiations.
As for the second part of the question, I do believe that technology is expanding opportunities for entrepreneurship and self-employment. It supports this trend from both sides of the market. For workers, technology makes it possible to achieve more with fewer resources, thanks to digital tools and AI assistance. For companies, it becomes easier to find, hire, and manage the talent they need, when they need it, and wherever they need it.
The key challenge is ensuring that this greater autonomy does not lead to greater precarity. As these new forms of work become more widespread, it is essential to develop protections that provide a level of security comparable to that enjoyed by workers in more traditional employment arrangements. In fact, public debate around these issues has intensified considerably in recent years.
4. What skills will entrepreneurs need to strengthen in order to succeed in this context?
On the one hand, entrepreneurs will need to learn how to make effective use of the growing range of WorkerTech tools and services available to improve their level of protection and working conditions. These include tools for invoicing, platforms for finding work opportunities, digital reputation management, insurance services, access to professional tools, and access to coworking and other workspaces.
On the other hand, it is important to emphasize that autonomy does not mean isolation. In fact, one of the best ways to succeed as a self-employed professional or entrepreneur is to do so alongside others. A key skill will be the ability to build what I call a “work crew”—a trusted network of peers who share a common sector, values, geographic area, or professional interests.
This can take many forms. It may be something highly informal, such as an agreement among a small group of professionals, or a more structured collective approach. In some cases, it may even involve joining or creating a traditional cooperative, which can provide levels of protection and support similar to those enjoyed by salaried employees.
Ultimately, entrepreneurial success in this new context will depend not only on technological skills, but also on the ability to build strong professional networks, collaborate effectively, and leverage the ecosystems and support structures available.
5. What is the most widespread myth about artificial intelligence that you would like to debunk?
One of the most widespread myths about artificial intelligence is the belief that every technological advance is, by definition, a form of progress for everyone.
As an engineer and a technology enthusiast, I deeply believe in its transformative potential. However, I also think it is important to avoid an overly optimistic view. History shows us that the benefits of major innovations are not automatically distributed across society. Economists Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson explain this particularly well in Power and Progress: technological progress generates prosperity, but only when institutions and collective decisions help direct that prosperity toward the common good.
I also like to recall an idea from the philosopher Paul Virilio: every new technology simultaneously creates a new type of accident. When the train was invented, so too was the derailment. With artificial intelligence, we are beginning to see its own “accidents”: opaque automated decision-making, system errors that affect people’s lives, disinformation, and difficulties in assigning responsibility when something goes wrong.
When evaluating the potential of AI, we should also ask who benefits from it, who bears its risks, and how we can build appropriate chains of accountability.
Responsibility, regulation, and innovation can go hand in hand. They are not opposing concepts. On the contrary, they are complementary elements of a healthy technological future.
6. Autoocupació’s motto is “I am what I want to be.” What about you? Are you?
Over more than 25 years of professional experience, I have had the opportunity to work in a wide variety of environments: as an employee in Europe and Asia, in public-sector organizations, as part of the Government of Catalonia serving as Director General, and for more than a decade as a self-employed consultant.
Looking back, I realize there has been a common thread running through all of these stages. I have always tried to move closer to what I wanted to be at each particular moment in my life. Whenever I felt I had completed one chapter, I sought new challenges or embraced opportunities that allowed me to continue evolving. Having had the chance to do that has undoubtedly been a privilege.
Over time, I have learned that the question, “What do you want to be?” does not have a single answer. The answer changes as we change—along with our circumstances and our priorities. Now, with relatively recent experience of becoming a parent, my answer has evolved once again.
That is why I would not say that I have become what I wanted to be once and for all. Rather, I would say that I have tried to become what I wanted to be at each stage of my life. And at this point in my journey, I can say that at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) I have found an environment that allows me to continue doing exactly that.
