Digital sovereignty should sit at the core of the UK's AI strategy

New Statesman​

17 hours ago

Image by Shutterstock
With the Prime Minister's AI Opportunities Action Plan, the UK government pledged to turbocharge the economy by infusing AI throughout the public sector. From hospitals leveraging AI for faster diagnoses to public sector teams freed from administrative drudgery, the goal is to use AI as the engine of British progress.
But as the government throws its weight behind this technological revolution, several crucial questions arise: who owns and controls the digital foundations upon which our AI-powered future will be built? What tools, platforms and companies make up the digital supply chains of public and private sector services? And how can we ensure that homegrown innovations in AI are scalable?
Ultimately, the challenge lies in establishing 'digital sovereignty' – ensuring the UK can secure and govern the foundations of its AI-driven future.
In times of global unrest and economic uncertainty, digital sovereignty is a necessity, not a luxury. It means the UK retaining control over its critical technological infrastructure, data and algorithms. It's about ensuring that the tools underpinning our public services and industries are not black boxes managed from afar, but transparent, accountable systems shaped by our values.
The risks of dependency are real. Over-reliance on foreign-owned platforms can expose our institutions to security vulnerabilities, regulatory misalignment and loss of control over sensitive data.
And yet, pragmatism will need to be practised. Technological supply chains will undoubtedly cross international lines. Achieving digital sovereignty, therefore, requires a balanced approach: ensuring transparency so the public can understand these supply chains, prioritising domestic and European technology solutions, and working with a carefully vetted group of international partners.
This approach will also help the UK tackle one of its biggest challenges with AI: scaling projects from proofs of concept to delivering value more quickly and widely. Digital sovereignty empowers the UK to set its own standards, foster innovation within a trusted ecosystem and maintain control over the process of moving AI projects from concept to widespread implementation.
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With this in mind, consider Humphrey, the UK government's new AI assistant, which is being trialled in 25 local authorities to streamline administrative tasks such as planning, archive searches and transcription.
Early results are promising. Government pilots found that Humphrey's 'Minute' notetaking tool saved officials an hour of admin for every 60-minute meeting, freeing staff to focus on higher-value work and improving morale.
Other components, like 'Consult', can analyse thousands of public consultation responses far faster than human teams, with comparable accuracy and significant projected cost savings across the civil service. If the platform can continue to deliver such results as its adoption scales, Humphrey may serve as a valuable case study for public-sector AI implementation. At the same time, with increasing attention on how governments manage and govern AI tools, providing clear information about the platform's technical underpinnings – from the large language models powering it to its hosting setup – will help build confidence and set standards for future initiatives.
Digital sovereignty fits into a wider framework of responsible digitalisation – a guiding principle for Netcompany. It means deploying technology in ways that are ethical, transparent and aligned with societal needs.
Our experience delivering large-scale digital projects across the UK and European public sector has shown that responsible digitalisation is not only possible but essential for building trust and ensuring long-term impact. Whether deploying a digital patient registration service used by 98 per cent of English GPs or developing an AI-powered delay prediction tool for rail networks across Europe, we let our customers take control of their processes and data, foster collaboration and commit to re-using technologies, never developing the same tools twice.
The same goes for the EASLEY AI platform. Developed by Netcompany, EASLEY is a secure, model-independent generative AI solution for both public and private sector organisations. Unlike many off-the-shelf AI products, EASLEY puts data privacy and organisational control at its core. It integrates seamlessly with existing systems, allowing clients to switch between AI models as technology evolves – without relinquishing control over their data or processes. In practice, this means a local authority can automate document processing or improve citizen services with confidence, knowing their data never leaves UK or European jurisdiction.
Legacy IT systems are silent saboteurs of digital progress. Across the UK and Europe, outdated infrastructure drains budgets and stifles innovation, with up to 80 per cent of IT budgets spent just keeping these obsolete systems running – resources that could otherwise fund better digital services, innovation and security.
In June 2025, we announced Feniks AI, a pioneering tool that accelerates the transition from legacy systems to modern, open architectures – cutting delivery times by up to 60 per cent. In short, what once took years can now be completed in months. The tool has already delivered promising results in three large-scale public sector projects in Denmark, and we look forward to bringing it to the UK.
Feniks AI is built on Netcompany's unique methodology and platforms, developed through 25 years of experience delivering large-scale, business-critical projects across the public and private sectors in Europe. By embracing such solutions, we can help our customers break free from decades of digital debt and lay the foundations for a more innovative and secure future.
As the UK charts its course towards an AI-powered future, cross-sector collaboration is key to delivering digital transformation at scale. Partnerships focused on transparency, scalability and pragmatic digital sovereignty will best position the UK to become a leader in the development and deployment of AI. In doing so, we can shape a digital landscape that is not only world-leading but also serves the needs and aspirations of our citizens.
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