Castilla-La Mancha is among the communities with the lowest professional exposure to artificial intelligence (AI), according to a study by the VRAIN Institute of the Universidad Politècnica de València (UPV) based on INE data. Research concludes that AI can transform … between 18% and 22% of total jobs in Spainalthough with large territorial differences due to the weight of economic activities.
The report confirms that communities like Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha and Aragon record exposure below the national average. In the Castilian-Manchego case, factors such as greater weight of agriculturetraditional manufacturing and construction explain a lower impact compared to more urban and tertiary regions. This situation contrasts with territories like Madrid or Barcelona, where the incidence of AI exceeds 21.5%.
In Castile-La Mancha, The province of Cuenca is one of the least exposed places in all of Spain.with values between 17.5% and 18.5%, as detailed by the UPV. This group is completed by Soria, Zamora, Teruel and Palencia, all far from major urban centers and with productive structures less oriented towards advanced services.
Research indicates that exposure to AI is structural and remains stable over the years analyzed2021 and 2022, whatever the economic cycle. It also highlights that it is the urban areas with the greatest presence of commerce, health, education, information and advanced services that concentrate the most jobs that can be transformed by AI, which explains the lesser impact in Castile-La Mancha.
AI widens the gender gap
The study also identifies a “clear” gender gap. Women’s employment is between 1.3 and 3 percentage points more exposed than men’s employmenta difference which widens in the highly tertiary territories and which is also observed, although on a smaller scale, in the provinces of Castile-La Mancha. Women are particularly concentrated in sectors where the applicability of AI is greater, such as education, health, commerce or social activities, while men predominate in less exposed areas, such as construction or transport.
The report was prepared by researchers Antoni Mestre, Xavier Naya, Manoli Albert and Vicente Pelechano of the VRAIN Institute, and presented to the union representatives of the Economic and Social Council of Spain (CES), the Deputy General Secretary of the UGT, Lola Navarro, the senators Rocío Briones and the Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant. According to the team, This x-ray of the impact of AI will make it possible to anticipate territorial and gender inequalities and guide requalification policies.
Antoni Mestre highlighted that Spain “deploys national digitalization and artificial intelligence strategies, such as the National AI Strategy (ENIA) or the Loss of the new linguistic economy or digitalization plans”, therefore “This analysis is necessary to ensure a just transition.”
“AI has the potential to increase productivityimprove public services and generate skilled employment opportunities, but it can also intensify inequalitiesif its effects are not anticipated globally,” he stressed.