The Quest for AI and Data Sovereignty in the Age of Autonomous Systems

When generative AI first made the leap from research labs to real-world business applications, enterprises struck a tacit bargain: "Capability now, control later." They fed proprietary data into third-party AI models, reaping powerful results, but also ceding control over their data to systems they didn't own and couldn't govern. The protections they relied on were only as secure as the provider's next policy update. Now, with generative AI embedded in everyday business operations and sophisticated new agentic AI systems advancing daily, companies are reassessing the terms of that deal.

"Data is really a new currency; it's the IP for many companies," says Kevin Dallas, CEO of EDB, echoing a growing anxiety among customers. "The big concern is, if you're deploying an AI-infused application with a cloud-based large language model, are you losing your IP? Are you losing your competitive position?" This concern is driving a movement toward reclaiming control over both data and AI systems that have rapidly become core business infrastructure.

AI and data sovereignty – breaking free from dependence on centralized providers and establishing genuine control over models and data estates – is an urgent priority for many companies, according to Dallas, citing internal EDB data: "70% of global executives believe they need a sovereign data and AI platform to be successful." The concept of AI sovereignty is gaining traction in global policy discussions. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang recently spoke about the need for such a shift at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos in January 2026: "I really believe that every country should get involved to build AI infrastructure, build your own AI, take advantage of your fundamental natural resource—which is your language and culture—develop your AI, continue to refine it, and have your national intelligence be part of your ecosystem." A recent survey conducted by EDB of over 2,050 senior executives, along with a series of interviews with industry experts, confirms that the sovereignty movement is already underway at the enterprise level. As companies seek to regain control over their models and data estates in an era of rapid AI adoption, one thing is clear: the quest for AI and data sovereignty has become a pressing concern.

This report was produced by Insights, the custom content arm of MIT Technology Review. It was researched, designed, and written by human writers, editors, analysts, and illustrators, with AI tools limited to secondary production processes that passed thorough human review.