Generative AI: A Crucial Issue of Data Sovereignty

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Key Takeaways

1Companies initially adopted generative AI by sacrificing control over their data for the sake of performance.

2Kevin Dallas, CEO of EDB, emphasizes the importance of data sovereignty to protect intellectual property.

3A survey reveals that 70% of global leaders consider having a sovereign data and AI platform crucial.

💡Why it matters — Mastery of data and AI is essential for maintaining competitiveness and technological independence for businesses.

The Rise of Generative AI and the Initial Compromise of Businesses

When generative artificial intelligence moved from laboratories to integrate into concrete business applications, companies accepted an implicit compromise: to immediately benefit from AI capabilities, even if it meant postponing the question of control. By using third-party AI models to leverage their proprietary data, businesses achieved impressive results. However, this integration meant that their data passed through external systems they did not own and under governance they did not control. Data protection guarantees often depend on the policies of the providers, which can change with each update.

Reevaluating Strategies in Light of AI Integration

Today, as generative AI permeates the daily operations of businesses and agentic AI systems become increasingly sophisticated, companies are reexamining the terms of this initial agreement. According to Kevin Dallas, CEO of EDB, data has become a true currency, representing intellectual property for many companies. He questions: “By deploying an AI-enhanced application with a cloud-based large language model, are we risking the loss of our intellectual property or competitive position?”

Towards Data and AI Sovereignty

This concern fuels a growing movement aimed at regaining control over data and AI systems, which have become essential to business infrastructure. Data and AI sovereignty, which involves reducing reliance on centralized providers and establishing true control over models and datasets, is now a priority for many companies. Dallas cites internal data from EDB, indicating that 70% of global executives believe it is necessary to have a sovereign data and AI platform to succeed.

A Matter of National and International Sovereignty

The idea of AI sovereignty extends beyond the corporate realm and enters global political discussions. Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, recently emphasized the importance of this shift at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2026. He stated: “Every country should commit to building an AI infrastructure, developing its own AI based on its language and culture, and integrating this national intelligence into its ecosystem.”

EDB's Survey and Corporate Commitment

This report examines how companies are striving to reclaim sovereignty over their models and datasets in a context of rapid AI adoption. Based on a survey by EDB of over 2,050 senior executives and a series of interviews with industry experts, the research confirms that the movement towards corporate sovereignty is already well underway.