The directors of the main world news agencies participating in the thirty-fourth international Minds conference will share their opinions, successes and experiences regarding the challenges of the sector, such as artificial intelligence or the management of big data, this Thursday and Friday in Madrid .

The EFE Agency will host the meeting, organized by the Minds consortium (Media Innovation Network), in which 23 entities based in Europe, America, Asia and Oceania participate, including EFE, and whose objective is the exchange of knowledge on new information products, technological advances and business initiatives.

The Madrid conference will discuss the impact and opportunities offered by artificial intelligence for the activity of agencies and their credibility, data management and new ways of obtaining revenue. The digital transformation of information production, training and the various cooperation projects are other challenges on which the leaders will focus.

The president of the EFE Agency, Gabriela Cañas, highlighted the opportunity offered by Minds to share, from the basic principle of innovation, experiences and even “fears” of the sector.

“During this conference, we will talk a lot about artificial intelligence, which is a tool that is very useful to us, but that we must know how to use with caution,” added Cañas, believing that agencies “are more essential than ever. .”

This is because, faced with the networks’ ability to disseminate disinformation, they offer their clients and citizens the security of respecting “very important ethical and deontological standards”: “In the near future, we are going to experience the splendor agency news,” he added.

Beyond the participation of heads of agencies, Minds has invited Caro Kriel, CEO of the Thomson Foundation, as external speakers; Greg Pichota, resident researcher at the International News Media Association; Rosalía Lloret, general director of elDiario.es (Spain), and Ángel Villarino, deputy director of El Confidencial (Spain).

The meeting which opens tomorrow will have a reception this Wednesday at the NH Collection Eurobuilding hotel, where all the sessions of the program will be held, which will include a general assembly on Thursday afternoon.

Since its creation in 2007, the international Minds network has included new participants and the main agencies integrated into the European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA), such as EFE; the American Associated Press, the Japanese Kyodo, the Turkish AA, the Australian AAP or the Canadian CP.

Minds organizes two conferences each year. The previous meeting to the one now starting in Madrid was held in Brussels last October, and the next conference, the thirty-fifth, will take place in the Canadian city of Toronto.