GOV.UK founder Mike Bracken warns that public institutions risk surrendering control over critical systems in the modern rush toward artificial intelligence.
Britain and other public institutions risk trading their dependence on foreign technology suppliers for an even deeper reliance on a small group of artificial intelligence providers. The warning comes from Mike Bracken, founder of GOV.UK and the UK's first Government Chief Data Officer.
What Happened
As governments and institutional bodies pile more technology dependencies onto their everyday operations, they are gradually surrendering control over critical systems. Bracken points out that organizations rarely surrender their sovereignty during a sudden crisis; instead, they forfeit it through a series of incremental, reasonable choices.
The warning arrives as the UK government invests financial resources into domestic computing infrastructure and expands access to processing power for AI models, a strategy often framed as a push for 'sovereign AI'. However, Bracken cautions that merely keeping infrastructure inside national borders or possessing the underlying technology does not equate to genuine control if an organization ultimately loses its capacity to switch suppliers or pivot its strategy when needed.
Why It Matters
The modern rush toward artificial intelligence introduces complex questions regarding national resilience, critical infrastructure, state capacity, and economic competitiveness. Bracken emphasizes that every technology decision an organization makes will either increase or diminish its future flexibility, leaving institutions vulnerable when circumstances demand sudden changes in direction.
What We Know So Far
Mike Bracken is the founder of GOV.UK, creator of the Government Digital Service (GDS), the UK's first Government Chief Data Officer, and co-founder of the consultancy Public Digital. He has further explored these concepts alongside his colleagues at Public Digital in a new book titled Digital Sovereignty: The Power to Decide.
