The first edition of the event connects the European perspective with the Basque ecosystem and addresses the challenges and opportunities of AI for low-resource languages.
On June 11, 2026, the EITB headquarters in Bilbao hosted the first edition of the Euskorpora Summit 2026: From the European context to local impact, an event designed to become a European reference point in the field of artificial intelligence and language technologies, with a special focus on low-resource languages and the strategic role of Basque in AI development.
Organized by Euskorpora, the event brought together representatives from the scientific, technological, industrial, and institutional spheres to reflect on the challenges and opportunities that AI presents for low-resource languages, while also analyzing the European context and the capabilities of the Basque ecosystem.
The event was opened by Ibone Bengoetxea, First Vice Lehendakari and Minister of Culture and Language Policy of the Basque Government, who emphasized the importance of placing Basque at the center of digital transformation and AI development.
Later, Leire Barañao, General Director of Euskorpora, presented the evolution of the initiative and its key future challenges.
The European block featured leading international experts in language technologies and AI. Georg Rehm (DFKI)provided an overview of the European landscape, while Khalid Choukri (ELDA / ELRA) addressed key challenges related to data governance in language technologies.
This was followed by European case studies from Andrejs Vasiljevs (Tilde), Krister Lindén (University of Helsinki), and Steinþór Steingrímsson (Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies), who shared strategies from countries with minority languages working to strengthen their presence in AI.
In the local ecosystem block, several stakeholders presented capabilities, needs, and real-world applications related to Basque, including Leire Barañao (Euskorpora), Andres Urrutia and Miriam Urkia (Euskaltzaindia), Jon Telletxea (EITB), Iñaki Gorostidi (Logikaline), and Mikel Echebarria (Laboral Kutxa), among others.
One of the main objectives of the summit was to strengthen the connection between the European context and the local ecosystem, creating a collaborative space for knowledge exchange and new opportunities in AI and language technologies.
The event was closed by Jaione Ganzarain Epelde, Deputy Minister of Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation of the Basque Government, who highlighted the importance of collaboration between institutions, companies, research centers, and the scientific community to ensure that Basque plays a meaningful role in the development of artificial intelligence.
After the closing remarks, attendees continued networking at the EITB headquarters.
With this first edition, Euskorpora strengthens its role as a bridge between Europe and the Basque ecosystem, laying the foundations for future collaborations in language technologies and AI for Basque.
