"Sovereign AI": Navigating Strategic Autonomy, Transatlantic Frictions, and Global Governance in the Age of Generative AI

  • Panel
  • Le Baixu
  • Thursday 22.05 — 16:00 - 17:15

Organising Institution

AI-Regulation,com, Multidisciplinary Institute of Artificial Intelligence, University Grenoble Alpes

France

  • Academic 1
  • Business 2
  • Policy 3
This panel addresses the increasingly significant concept of "Sovereign AI," reflecting Europe's shift from digital sovereignty to strategic autonomy in AI. Geopolitical tensions—particularly between the U.S., EU, and allied nations—have intensified debates around AI governance, tech dependence, and national security. Europe's concerns about reliance on U.S. infrastructure have spurred initiatives to develop regional data ecosystems and local computational resources. Simultaneously, the U.S., citing national security, has imposed controls on access to advanced AI tools and datasets for adversarial states. The rise of generative AI, like ChatGPT, adds security concerns about misuse by malicious actors, prompting calls for safeguards and oversight. The panel will examine how strategic autonomy, global frictions, and evolving risks are reshaping international AI policy.

Questions to be answered

  1. How does the emergence of "Sovereign AI" influence regulatory frameworks concerning data localization, cross-border data flows, and technological dependencies?
  2. What are the implications of emerging restrictions on AI training data and cloud services?
  3. How can national security and law enforcement agencies responsibly harness powerful generative and advanced general AI (GPAI and AGI) tools without undermining privacy, data protection, and human rights?
  4. What measures are global AI companies implementing to manage government access to AI systems and data, and how do these align with evolving regulatory expectations and geopolitical pressures?

Moderator

Theodore Christakis

AI-Regulation,com, Multidisciplinary Institute of Artificial Intelligence, University Grenoble Alpes - France

Theodore Christakis is Professor of International, European and Digital Law at University Grenoble Alpes (France), Director of Research for Europe with the Cross-Border Data Forum, Member of the Board of Directors of the Future of Privacy Forum and a former Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the New York University Cybersecurity Centre. He is Chair on the Legal and Regulatory Implications of Artificial Intelligence with the Multidisciplinary Institute on AI (AI-Regulation.com).

Speaker

Ben Nimmo

OpenAI - United States

Principal Investigator, Intelligence & Investigations @OpenAI

Speaker

Yann Padova

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati - Belgium

Partner in the Brussels office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Speaker

Kai Zenner

European Parliament - Europe

Head of Office and Digital Policy Adviser for MEP Axel Voss

Speaker

Becky Richards

Office of the Director of National Intelligence, NSA - United States

Rebecca “Becky” Richards is Chief, ODNI Civil Liberties, Privacy, and Transparency Office. In this role, she serves as an independent, primary advisor to the Director of National Intelligence and other senior DNI officials to ensure that the Intelligence Community's missions, programs, activities, policies, and technologies protect privacy and civil liberties