Strategies for Nations to Achieve AI Sovereignty

"The rapid evolution and swift adoption of generative AI have prompted governments to keep pace and prepare for future developments and impacts. Policy-makers are considering how generative artificial intelligence (AI) can be used in the public interest, balancing economic and social opportunities while mitigating risks. To achieve this purpose, this paper provides a comprehensive 360° governance framework: 1 Harness past: Use existing regulations and address gaps introduced by generative AI. The effectiveness of national strategies for promoting AI innovation and responsible practices depends on the timely assessment of the regulatory levers at hand to tackle the unique challenges and opportunities presented by the technology. Prior to developing new AI regulations or authorities, governments should: – Assess existing regulations for tensions and gaps caused by generative AI, coordinating across the policy objectives of multiple regulatory instruments – Clarify responsibility allocation through legal and regulatory precedents and supplement efforts where gaps are found – Evaluate existing regulatory authorities for capacity to tackle generative AI challenges and consider the trade-offs for centralizing authority within a dedicated agency 2 Build present: Cultivate whole-of-society generative AI governance and cross-sector knowledge sharing. Government policy-makers and regulators cannot independently ensure the resilient governance of generative AI – additional stakeholder groups from across industry, civil society and academia are also needed. Governments must use a broader set of governance tools, beyond regulations, to: – Address challenges unique to each stakeholder group in contributing to whole-of-society generative AI governance – Cultivate multistakeholder knowledge-sharing and encourage interdisciplinary thinking – Lead by example by adopting responsible AI practices 3 Plan future: Incorporate preparedness and agility into generative AI governance and cultivate international cooperation. Generative AI’s capabilities are evolving alongside other technologies. Governments need to develop national strategies that consider limited resources and global uncertainties, and that feature foresight mechanisms to adapt policies and regulations to technological advancements and emerging risks. This necessitates the following key actions: – Targeted investments for AI upskilling and recruitment in government – Horizon scanning of generative AI innovation and foreseeable risks associated with emerging capabilities, convergence with other technologies and interactions with humans – Foresight exercises to prepare for multiple possible futures – Impact assessment and agile regulations to prepare for the downstream effects of existing regulation and for future AI developments – International cooperation to align standards and risk taxonomies and facilitate the sharing of knowledge and infrastructure"

𝟮𝟴 𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀. 𝟯 𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗬𝗲𝘁. The America’s AI Action Plan (July 2025) isn’t theory—it’s execution-focused. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀: 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘦. 𝗜𝘁 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀: Innovation, Infrastructure, and International Leadership. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿: The plan 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗯𝗼𝘅𝗲𝘀—especially for healthcare, agriculture, and energy—to speed up real-world AI use. It proposes 𝗔𝗜 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 to help sectors test and share learnings across open environments. It 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻-𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁—so startups, universities, and enterprises with sensitive data don’t get locked out. It 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗔𝗜 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 who can benefit from it—no more excuses. It 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗜 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗯𝗼𝘅 and a talent exchange for agencies to share AI skills. It 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻-𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 benchmarks—measuring AI impact on actual workflows. It 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀—𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗜 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴, apprenticeships, and career-tech programs. It makes 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗼𝘂𝘁 a core part of AI readiness—not just compute. It invests in 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗼𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 for frontier models. It 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗳𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 how DOJ and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) should set technical and evidentiary standards. It 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹-𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗔𝗜 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆—hardware, models, values—offered to allies and partners. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁, 𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱. If you're working on AI adoption—public or private—this is a must read.

The G7 Toolkit for Artificial Intelligence in the Public Sector, prepared by the OECD.AI and UNESCO, provides a structured framework for guiding governments in the responsible use of AI and aims to balance the opportunities & risks of AI across public services. ✅ a resource for public officials seeking to leverage AI while balancing risks. It emphasizes ethical, human-centric development w/appropriate governance frameworks, transparency,& public trust. ✅ promotes collaborative/flexible strategies to ensure AI's positive societal impact. ✅will influence policy decisions as governments aim to make public sectors more efficient, responsive, & accountable through AI. Key Insights/Recommendations: 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 & 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬: ➡️importance of national AI strategies that integrate infrastructure, data governance, & ethical guidelines. ➡️ different G7 countries adopt diverse governance structures—some opt for decentralized governance; others have a single leading institution coordinating AI efforts. 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 & 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 ➡️ AI can enhance public services, policymaking efficiency, & transparency, but governments to address concerns around security, privacy, bias, & misuse. ➡️ AI usage in areas like healthcare, welfare, & administrative efficiency demonstrates its potential; ethical risks like discrimination or lack of transparency are a challenge. 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 & 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 ➡️ focus on human-centric AI development while ensuring fairness, transparency, & privacy. ➡️Some members have adopted additional frameworks like algorithmic transparency standards & impact assessments to govern AI's role in decision-making. 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ➡️provides a phased roadmap for developing AI solutions—from framing the problem, prototyping, & piloting solutions to scaling up and monitoring their outcomes. ➡️ engagement + stakeholder input is critical throughout this journey to ensure user needs are met & trust is built. 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐈 𝐢𝐧 𝐔𝐬𝐞 ➡️Use cases include AI tools in policy drafting, public service automation, & fraud prevention. The UK’s Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard (ATRS) and Canada's AI impact assessments serve as examples of operational frameworks. 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 & 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: ➡️G7 members to open up government datasets & ensure interoperability. ➡️Countries are investing in technical infrastructure to support digital transformation, such as shared data centers and cloud platforms. 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 & 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: ➡️ importance of collaboration across G7 members & international bodies like the EU and Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) to advance responsible AI. ➡️Governments are encouraged to adopt incremental approaches, using pilot projects & regulatory sandboxes to mitigate risks & scale successful initiatives gradually.

📚 I've been teaching Foreign Policy & AI to diplomats across the world and I always start with that now-famous 2017 moment when Putin said: "𝘞𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥." Naturally, people ask: So where has Russia been on the AI front since then? 🤔 Russia’s AI ambitions are not dead - they’ve just found a new stage. Moscow has turned to the BRICS bloc, whose founding members include #Brazil, #Russia, #India, #China, and #SouthAfrica, to build a parallel AI ecosystem. Here's what I’ve been reflecting on: 🤖 Russia has adopted the 2021 National Security Strategy, emphasizing the role of advanced technologies, including #AI, in strengthening #nationaldefense and #economic resilience. 🪆 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ 2023 Concept of the Foreign Policy highlights AI growth and deeper BRICS cooperation. 🧠 Russia sees AI as a pillar of its long-term global strategy. Despite sanctions and brain drain, it’s doubling down on #AI via #BRICS cooperation. 🌐 BRICS has become Moscow’s AI sandbox. What began as a geopolitical bloc is morphing into a tech and governance alliance, with AI at the center. 📈 BRICS now makes up 35% of the global economy, and with new members like UAE, Iran, Egypt, and Ethiopia, it’s evolving into a parallel AI ecosystem, beyond Western influence. BRICS introduced some significant AI governance efforts: 🔹 Established an AI Study Group to “develop AI governance frameworks and standards 🔹 Russia led the creation of the BRICS AI Alliance - a strategic initiative promoting collaborative joint research and regulation.  🔹 Advocated for the BRICS adoption of "Russia's Code of AI Ethics", signaling a clear Russian leadership in the AI governance space. 🔹 Building partnerships to deploy Russian/Chinese AI infrastructure in the Global South. 🔹 Encouraging BRICS nations to shift away from OpenAI and U.S.-centric models - 100 of the largest companies in BRICS nations are shifting away from Western models like OpenAI, toward emerging Chinese, Russian, and Emirati models. 💥 Recent moves include: 👉 A Russia–China Joint Declaration on AI Cooperation. 👉 A strategic AI pact with Iran. 👉 BRICS’ own AI Study Group, with ambitions to define global standards. 💡 BRICS is no longer just a diplomatic club. It's a strategic AI force — and we need to treat it as such. #AI #ForeignPolicy #BRICS #AIforPeace #Geopolitics #AIgovernance #TechDiplomacy #Russia #China #GlobalSouth #ArtificialIntelligence #InternationalRelations #DigitalSovereignty #DemocracyAndTech #AIAlliance