Madrid, May 17, 2026. La Royal Academy of Economic and Financial Sciences and Universidad Rey Juan Carlos They have held a particularly important academic event entitled “New horizons for economic research”, in which the major challenges posed by artificial intelligence for the economy, scientific research, European competitiveness, digital sovereignty and decision-making have been analyzed in a context marked by complexity, uncertainty and geopolitical crisis.
The meeting, held in conjunction with the Rey Juan Carlos University, included the participation of Rector of the URJC, Abraham Duarteas well as with the institutional support and presence of the Dean of the Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences, María Enciso Alonso-Muñumer, And Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business, Miguel Cuerdo.
During the closing ceremony of the RACEF national event, its president, Jaime Gil Aluja, made an explicit appeal for compliance with European Regulation on Artificial Intelligence, whose full implementation is planned for next August 2th, XNUMXand stressed the need to move towards reconquest of digital sovereignty, in an international scenario where technological dependence on large corporations and global powers constitutes one of the main strategic challenges for Europe.
The event also took place during the signing of an agreement. collaboration agreement between RACEF and Rey Juan Carlos University, aimed at strengthening academic, scientific and institutional ties between both entities and promoting spaces for shared reflection on the major economic, technological and social challenges of our time.
In his opening speech, entitled “The researcher’s position regarding the study of the economic realities of the future”Jaime Gil Aluja defended the need for to re-establish economic research on more realistic and humanistic foundations, capable of understanding an uncertain, chaotic, and complex world without reducing it to rigid models inherited from the past. In this sense, he stressed that the economy of the future must stop conceiving of the human being as a mechanical part of the system and move towards models that integrate uncertainty, subjectivity, education, freedom, and social complexity.
The conference provided an opportunity to discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on various areas of economics and finance. The full academician Louis Otero analyzed the application of models of machine learning algorithm to the assessment of credit risk in P2P loans. For its part, Camilo PradoProfessor of Finance at Rey Juan Carlos University, lectured on information asymmetry, signals and legitimacy in the financial field as essential elements for generating trust.
Likewise, Ricardo Hernández, corresponding academic of the RACEF and professor at the University of Extremadura, addressed the position of the European Union on competitiveness, energy and networks in the current international scenario, calling for strong leadership that allows for gaining strategic autonomy, security and stability.
One of the central themes of the meeting was the impact of large language models and generative artificial intelligence on academic research. In his presentation, Jorge SainzProfessor at King Juan Carlos University reflected on “The algorithmic trap, 2.0” and raised one of the great questions of the current scientific community: how to identify in scientific articles and in the papers which part corresponds to artificial intelligence and which part truly belongs to the author.
The humanistic dimension of artificial intelligence was also addressed by the academician Vicente LiernShe argued that AI should not become a dehumanizing force or a mere profit-maximizing machine, but rather a tool at the service of a humanist, sustainable, and socially responsible economy. During her speech, she warned that algorithms are not neutral and can amplify biases, ignore nuances, or leave behind those who lack technological skills. Therefore, it is essential to place people at the center of any model of technological governance.
Along the same lines, the rector of the King Juan Carlos University, abraham duarteHe noted that “The theoretical development of AI is already mature, and a humanistic review is essential to ensure that a human is always involved in the essential part of decision-making.”Duarte also stressed the importance of avoiding scenarios in which particularly sensitive decisions, such as those related to the use of weapons or areas of high social impact, could be left exclusively in the hands of automated systems.
The event also addressed the challenges of financial education, a subject developed by Miguel CuerdoProfessor Cuerdo, from the URJC and Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business, highlighted the increasing complexity of economic decisions faced by both young people and older adults, as well as the need to strengthen financial education as a tool for autonomy, inclusion, and social cohesion. Cuerdo also presented the results of research on individual entrepreneurship among self-employed Spaniards and pilot projects for social transfer, such as the one developed with the Vicus Albus Neighborhood Association.
The presence of Dean María Enciso Alonso-Muñumer The event highlighted the commitment of the Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences to the legal, ethical and institutional analysis of artificial intelligence, especially at a time when the European AI Regulation requires universities, administrations, companies and legal operators to have a rigorous understanding of the new obligations, risks and guarantees associated with the use of intelligent systems.
From this perspective, the meeting highlighted the need to address artificial intelligence from an interdisciplinary perspective, in which law, economics, ethics, technology, and social sciences cooperate to build an innovation model compatible with human dignity, legal certainty, individual freedom, and the protection of fundamental rights.
The day concluded with an idea shared by the participants: artificial intelligence cannot be conceived solely as a tool for efficiency or productivity, but as a transformative technology that must be subject to criteria of responsibility, human control, transparency, equity and social benefit.
With this act, the Rey Juan Carlos University and the Royal Academy of Economic and Financial Sciences reinforce their institutional collaboration and their commitment to economic and legal research capable of responding to the challenges of artificial intelligence, digital sovereignty and European strategic autonomy from a humanistic, responsible perspective oriented towards the common good.