Artificial Intelligence is entering a new era in Europe—one defined by regulation, responsibility, and trust. In this context, Spain has become the first EU country to launch an Artificial Intelligence Sandbox, a pioneering testing environment designed to help companies adapt to the upcoming European AI Regulation (AI Act).
Veridas has been selected as one of the highest-scoring companies to participate in this initiative.
What happened?
The Ministry for Digital Transformation has published the final resolution of the first EU AI Sandbox call.
This initiative aims to test and adapt high-risk AI systems in a controlled, secure, and collaborative environment, in line with the new European regulatory framework that will come fully into force in 2026.
Among the selected projects, Veridas ranked second nationwide (78.85 points) and first in the biometrics category.
What is the AI Sandbox?
The AI Sandbox is a regulated, supervised, and secure testing environment that allows companies and institutions to:
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Adapt their high-risk AI systems to the requirements of the upcoming AI Act.
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Receive expert guidance and training on legal, technical, and compliance matters.
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Contribute to developing official technical guidelines to support the European AI ecosystem.
In this first edition, 12 high-risk AI projects were selected across sectors such as healthcare, employment, credit, critical infrastructure, and biometrics.
Why does it matter?
For Veridas, participating in this Sandbox clearly reflects our commitment to responsible, transparent AI that meets the highest European standards.
The selected system—Veridas Age Estimation—enables age verification in vending machines to regulate access to restricted products such as tobacco or vape devices.
This is a specific use case, operating within a regulated context, which the Ministry identified as one of the most relevant projects in the call.
Participation in the Sandbox was exclusively reserved for systems considered high-risk under the new AI Regulation. For this reason, Veridas submitted this particular use case—age verification for access to regulated products via vending machines.
This system was evaluated as high-risk due to its nature and regulatory context. However, all of Veridas’ biometric recognition solutions (identification and authentication) are classified as low or minimal risk under the AI Act.
What does it mean for Veridas?
Participation in the AI Sandbox marks a strategic milestone with multiple benefits:
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Official recognition as one of the most relevant AI projects in the country.
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An active role in shaping technical and legal standards at the European level.
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Access to expert training and support from the Government of Spain and the European AI Office.
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Validation of a solution developed according to principles of privacy, explainability, and ethics.
