Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming one of the defining technologies of our time.

Listen to this article

It is reshaping how organisations operate, improving public services, accelerating scientific discovery and driving economic growth. But as AI becomes embedded in everything from healthcare and financial services to defence and critical national infrastructure, the UK faces an important question: Who controls the intelligence that powers our future?

Today, much of the world’s frontier AI capability is developed, trained and operated overseas. While these technologies have transformed what’s possible, relying solely on foreign-developed AI for critical applications creates strategic dependency at a time when resilience and security have never been more important.

The conversation around sovereign AI isn’t about turning our backs on international innovation or trying to build a British equivalent of every global AI platform. It is about ensuring the UK has trusted AI capabilities that are developed, trained and governed under UK laws, using UK infrastructure, to support our most sensitive sectors.

Just as we invest in secure telecommunications, resilient energy networks and robust cyber defences, we should view AI as another strategic capability that underpins national security and economic prosperity.

For organisations operating in highly regulated environments, the questions are becoming........

© LBC