Below follows Minister Arias-Vasquez's speech at yesterday's AI Summit:

Good morning everyone, 

It is a pleasure to be here with you today. 

Before I begin, let me say that my colleague, Minister Nigel Feetham, who would normally lead on AI matters for the Government, would have loved to have been here today, but is currently away from Gibraltar on Government business. 

I would like to place on record my thanks to him for the work he has been doing to introduce AI across a number of areas, not least at the Tax Office.  

I want to thank Artimus Consulting and everyone involved in organising this summit and bringing together such a strong mix of people from business, government, law, regulation and technology. 

That matters, because artificial intelligence is no longer a conversation for some point in the future. It is no longer a theoretical concept.  

It is not distant.  

It is already changing the way people work, the way organisations operate and the way services are delivered. 

So this summit is timely, and it is important. 

It is important because AI presents very real opportunities, but also very real responsibilities. The question is not whether this technology is going to shape the future.  

It already is.  

The question is whether we are prepared to use it well. 

For Gibraltar, I believe that means approaching AI in a way that is practical and responsible. 

We should not be interested in using AI simply because it is fashionable, or because everyone else is talking about it.  

We should be interested in it where it helps us do things better, where it improves productivity, where it reduces unnecessary administrative burden, where it supports better decisions, and where it ultimately improves outcomes for the people we serve.

That is the test. 

If it works, if it adds value, if it makes services more efficient and responsive, then we should be prepared to embrace it. 

But we should do so properly. 

And in a place like Gibraltar, where so much of our economy is built on reputation, standards and well-regulated sectors, that is even more important.  

The Government’s approach is very clear.  

We want Gibraltar to embrace AI in a way that is responsible, with better AI literacy and sensible innovation across the sectors that matter most to our economy and our public services. 

That is the right approach, because the places that will do well in this next phase will not be the ones that move fastest.  

They will be the ones that build the right culture around this technology.  

The right safeguards.  

The right skills. 

The right understanding of where AI can genuinely help and where human judgment must remain central. 

From my own perspective as Minister for Health, Care and Business, I see that balance very clearly. 

And on health, I want to talk to you a little today about the new surgical robot we have recently procured at the GHA.  

Although I appreciate robotics is not the same as AI, I do think there are important lessons we can take from that work which I thought was worth sharing with you this morning.  

Introducing robotics in Gibraltar meant navigating a number of regulatory hurdles, and we did not try to cut corners.  

We wanted to do things properly.  

We wanted to make sure that innovation was matched by the right governance, the right safeguards and the right clinical confidence. 

That work has already allowed Gibraltar to lead the way in telesurgery which, as many of you will have seen, is genuinely cutting edge.  

It involves the surgeon being based at a leading clinic in London while the patient is here in Gibraltar at St Bernard’s Hospital. 

Gibraltar is, in many ways, the perfect jurisdiction to facilitate this kind of innovation, because we can move quickly, work closely across institutions and get things done.

In this case, we were able to do something that many larger jurisdictions have not. For me, that is exactly the lesson for AI as well.  

We should be ambitious and we should be prepared to move quickly where there is real value in doing so.  

But we should also be prepared to do the work properly, to put the right frameworks in place and to make sure innovation is something that strengthens confidence rather than undermines it. 

Staying on health, AI and digital tools in this area can support better coordination, more efficient administration and, ultimately, a better patient experience. 

And in the GHA, we are already putting AI to practical use.  

Our GPs now use an AI-supported dictation system for referral letters, reducing the need for manual typing and helping to cut the administrative delays that can build up in the system. 

Crucially, it is designed to recognise medical terminology properly, which makes it much more effective in a clinical environment. 

That is a good example of the kind of adoption I think people can understand and support. That is how we should be thinking about AI more broadly.  

Not as a gimmick. Not as a replacement for people. But as a tool that, when used properly, can support people to work more effectively. 

In healthcare especially, that balance is essential. 

For businesses, AI has the potential to transform operations, improve efficiency, support decision making and create entirely new ways of working.  

But it also raises serious questions around risk, ethics, transparency, workforce adaptation and the way regulated businesses maintain confidence in the services they provide. 

That is why today’s agenda is such a good one. 

Because AI is often discussed in extremes.  

Either as the answer to everything, or as something to be feared at every turn. In reality, the more useful conversation is the serious one in the middle.  

What can it do well?  

Where can it genuinely add value?  

What are the risks?  

What safeguards are needed? 

And how do we ensure that innovation strengthens confidence instead of undermining it? Those are exactly the kinds of questions Gibraltar should be engaging with. 

We are a small jurisdiction, and that gives us advantages.  

We can often move more quickly.  

We can bring together decision-makers, regulators and industry in a more direct way. We can be agile.  

But with that agility comes responsibility.  

If we want to position Gibraltar well for the future, then we need to be thoughtful as well as ambitious. We need to make sure our workforce is ready. 

We need to make sure our institutions are ready. 

And we need to make sure that our younger generations are not just exposed to AI, but equipped to understand it properly, question it critically, and use it responsibly. 

I think Gibraltar should be ambitious about that. 

We have always done best when we have been prepared to adapt, when we have been prepared to modernise, and when we have been prepared to think ahead rather than stand still. 

AI is part of that future. 

Used well, it can help governments work better. 

It can help businesses become more productive. 

It can reduce friction and unnecessary process. 

It can create new commercial opportunities. 

And it can support better services for the public. 

But none of that will happen by accident.  

It requires good judgment, serious discussion and responsible leadership. 

That is why conferences like this matter. 

They matter because they bring together the people who will shape how AI is actually adopted. 

So I want to thank all of today’s speakers and panellists for contributing to that discussion, and all of you for being part of it. 

I hope today is practical and useful.

And I hope it helps Gibraltar continue to think carefully, confidently and responsibly about how we embrace the opportunities AI presents. 

Thank you very much.