Governments and public institutions risk losing the ability to make independent decisions as their reliance on artificial intelligence and a small number of technology providers grows, according to Government Digital Service (GDS) founder Mike Bracken.
Bracken has warned that organisations are becoming increasingly dependent on technology systems they struggle to control, with decisions made in the name of modernisation potentially limiting their ability to change direction in the future.
The warning comes ahead of the publication of his new book, Digital Sovereignty: The Power to Decide. Bracken, who led the creation of GOV.UK, argues that digital sovereignty should be measured not simply by who owns technology or where it is hosted, but by whether organisations retain the freedom to make decisions and act on them.
“Institutions rarely lose sovereignty in a crisis. They lose it one reasonable decision at a time,” he said.
“The biggest risk facing many organisations today is not that somebody takes control away from them. It’s that they gradually give it away. Every technology decision can make it harder or easier to change direction in the future.
“Too often, institutions only discover they have lost that flexibility when circumstances demand it.”
AI adoption raises questions over institutional control
Bracken’s warning comes as governments around the world invest in sovereign AI models, domestic computing infrastructure and national technology strategies in an effort to secure greater control over emerging technologies.
However, he argues that policymakers are placing too much emphasis on technology ownership rather than the practical ability of institutions to make independent decisions.
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As AI becomes embedded across public services and the wider economy, growing reliance on external platforms and suppliers could make it increasingly difficult for organisations to adapt when technology, market conditions or geopolitical circumstances change.
The challenge extends beyond central government to universities, charities and other public institutions, which face similar risks as their dependence on outsourced technology and AI platforms increases.
Bracken argues that these dependencies can develop gradually through individual procurement and technology decisions, making the resulting loss of flexibility difficult to recognise until organisations need to respond to changing circumstances.
Sovereignty is about the power to decide
Bracken said the implications of digital dependency extend beyond individual technology choices, connecting questions of AI adoption, critical infrastructure, national resilience and the ability of governments to deliver public services.
“This challenge extends far beyond technology. Questions about artificial intelligence, critical infrastructure, national resilience, economic competitiveness, and state capacity are increasingly linked by whether institutions retain the ability to make decisions and act on them, or become constrained by systems, suppliers, and dependencies they no longer control,” he said.
“Every institution depends on technology. The question is whether that technology expands your freedom to act or quietly narrows it.
“The organisations that succeed in the coming decade will be the ones that understand the difference before it is too late.”
Bracken co-founded consultancy Public Digital after leaving government and has since advised governments and institutions internationally on digital transformation.
