"Universities in Alicante require: AI must have access to all research."

More than 140 representatives from doctoral schools across Spain gathered at the University of Alicante for the XI conference of directors of these centers to exchange academic and organizational experiences. One of the topics that kicked off the event was the use of artificial intelligence in open science projects and doctoral programs. This topic was addressed by Raquel Shalabarder, a professor of intellectual property at the Open University of Catalonia, who warned about the risks of Spanish legislation that may become outdated in the use of artificial intelligence for open science research.

Artificial intelligence has become a powerful tool in data mining, but this expert pointed out a transposition issue that Spain made according to the European directive, which states that research centers and universities can use text and data mining for scientific research, and the rights holder cannot prohibit this. However, she believes that "the implementation we have made will put us in a less privileged position compared to universities and research centers in Europe." In Spain, it has been allowed to prohibit access by the rights holder. While in Europe access is restricted only if it is not for scientific research, in Spain the prohibition is made regardless of intentions. "This is not what the directive states, and we risk that at some point someone will appeal to the European Court and overturn Spanish legislation," she said.

The situation in other countries, such as Japan, is not the same. There are no restrictions in any of these cases. This could make Spain a less attractive place for international researchers.

Artificial intelligence systems feed on data, and the more information they have, the greater accuracy they can achieve. Applications like ChatGPT limit access to information databases due to copyright holders' refusals. Disputes between intellectual property and artificial intelligence will be ongoing in the coming years. Shalabarder raised another question about who will hold the copyright for a work created by artificial intelligence, the answer to which depends on the role played by the person inputting the data.

General Director of the universities of the Generalitat, José Antonio Pérez Juan

It was announced at the opening of the meeting that the doctoral education programs in the industry will be updated. They are funded with over a million euros and aim to strengthen the connection between the private sector and the academic world.

Rector of UA Amparo Navarro

I opened the event together with the director of the International Doctoral School in Alicante, Angeles Sirvent.