Digital sovereignty in the age of AI

AI is advancing quickly, but access and control remain deeply uneven. As artificial intelligence becomes foundational to economies and governments, the question is no longer just who has the best technology, but who controls the systems that power it.

In this GZERO Media Global Stage interview from the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, Tony Maciulis speaks with Talal Al Kaissi, Group Chief Global Affairs Officer at G42, about why AI has intensified debates around digital sovereignty, and what it will take to close the global AI divide.

Al Kaissi argues that geopolitics, geoeconomics, and geotechnology are now inseparable. As AI infrastructure underpins healthcare, finance, energy, and government services, sovereignty becomes a practical issue of data control, deployment, and trust.

AI raises the stakes because its infrastructure is massively expensive and often export-oriented. Few countries can build large-scale AI data centers on their own, creating the risk of a widening digital divide. To address this, G42 is experimenting with models like “digital embassies,” combining legal, technical, and policy safeguards to allow countries to access AI compute abroad without giving up sovereignty.

Looking ahead, Al Kaissi envisions an “intelligence grid,” where AI is delivered like a utility, lowering costs, expanding access, and enabling countries to benefit from AI without owning the infrastructure. The challenge now, he says, is ensuring that diffusion happens safely, responsibly, and inclusively before today’s gaps become permanent.

The Global Stage series, presented by GZERO Media in partnership with Microsoft, convenes leaders from government, business, and civil society at major international forums to examine the critical issues at the intersection of technology, politics, and society, and to explore how global cooperation can deliver solutions in an era of accelerating change.