AI Is Rewriting the Rules. Who Controls the Outcome?

Open Source, Digital Public Goods, and the Fight for Digital Independence

Governments are rapidly adopting AI systems that reshape how decisions are made, services are delivered, and power is exercised. Most of these systems are controlled by external vendors, built on proprietary models, and run on platforms that governments cannot fully inspect or replace.

This is not just a technology shift. It is a governance shift.

At Davos, Mark Carney argued that we are in a rupture, not a transition, and that middle powers like Canada must work together to maintain sovereignty in an increasingly unstable global system. Digital infrastructure is now part of that challenge.

This talk examines how AI can either deepen dependency or enable greater control, depending on how it is implemented. It makes the case that open source and Digital Public Goods are essential tools for collaboration between middle powers, allowing governments to share infrastructure, reduce duplication, and retain control over the systems they rely on.

The question is not whether to use AI. It is whether governments will control it, or be controlled by it.

— May 26, 11:50am (30 mins talk and 8 mins moderated Q&A), FWD50 Digital independence