AI sovereignty is about options, not ownership

https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2026/06/25/2003859687

Publish Date: 2026-06-24 12:00:00

A trustworthy AI ecosystem is one in which users can rely on continued access, retain meaningful control over their data,
and avoid becoming dependent on political decisions made elsewhere

The US government’s sudden decision on June 12 to restrict foreign access to some of Anthropic’s most advanced models is further confirmation that artificial intelligence (AI) is now a geopolitical issue of the highest order. Until recently, countries competed by building services, infrastructure and applications on top of frontier AI systems. Now, access to the systems themselves is a strategic concern.

The prevailing assumption used to be that AI would follow the logic of globalization. Countries would rely on a handful of frontier models, mostly developed in the US, while competing in downstream services, semiconductors, data and applications. Access to the most advanced AI systems was largely taken for granted. However, if this assumption no longer holds, the central question is not which model is best, but which can be accessed.

With frontier capabilities becoming an issue of national security and diplomacy, governments would be tempted to pursue “AI sovereignty” through the development of national champions or domestic alternatives to the leading US options (ChatGPT and Claude). However, as understandable as this instinct is, it risks addressing the wrong problem.

Illustration: Mountain People

After all, AI is advancing too fast for such a strategy to pay off. Technological advantages that appear decisive can vanish within months. Today’s breakthrough becomes tomorrow’s baseline. Models that dominate headlines for a few months are quickly matched or surpassed by competitors. Even countries willing to invest tens…

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