Abstract
This Essay explores the concept of sovereignty in relation to artificial intelligence. Although sovereignty has long been used to describe the status of nation states, the concept of sovereignty is used in multiple ways in the digital context. It is used to articulate state policies in relation to artificial intelligence (AI) and data, an assertion of state sovereignty that often has extraterritorial effects. It is also used by many Indigenous communities to articulate the relevance of control over data—in a data-driven world—to self-determination. The concept of sovereignty is also applied to describe the relationship of individuals to both data and technology, and in this sense, it is meant to highlight the importance of individual control over the defining elements of self. The concept of sovereignty clearly speaks to ideas of autonomy and control and takes on particular importance in a context in which AI technologies challenge these concepts in novel ways. This Essay explores the shifting concept of sovereignty and examines what it means for the regulation of AI, paying particular attention to the data dimensions of AI.
