Slide 1
Slide 2
Slide 3
Slide 4
Code as Constitution: Building Public Digital Infrastructure We Can Actually Trust
Drupal, AI, and the Architecture of Digital Sovereignty
- Date
2026-05-01
- Location
DrupalCamp Ottawa, Canada
- Speakers
Mike Gifford (CivicActions)
Slide 5
Solving More Than Is Recognized
Drupal is already playing a strong role
- Publishing at scale
- Accessibility / security
- Flexible, multilingual delivery
- Complex workflows
- Open source
- Vendor-neutral
- Globally maintained
- Built locally
Speaker notes
Start grounded. Next slide reframes Drupal as infrastructure.
Governments are already using Drupal for mission-critical services. The key point is that Drupal already embodies many of the properties we associate with digital independence.
Slide 6
A Stable Interface for Change
Drupal is infrastructure, bridging systems
- Learning community
- Extensive well-organized content
- Forward-looking (Remember RDFa)
- Lots of documentation & examples
- API-first architecture
- Well-structured content
- Extensible modules
- Almost built for AI
Drupal is Brilliantly Boring!
Speaker notes
Highlight architecture. Next slide moves into AI.
This is what makes Drupal strategic for integrating new capabilities like AI. If we treat Drupal as infrastructure, we make different decisions about funding, governance, and architecture.
Slide 7
Foundation for Independence
It isn't just about the code
- Multiple providers
- Vibrant ecosystem
- Legal consistency (GPL)
- Many hosting options
- Continuity & workflow flexibility
- History of reduced risk
- Options to do it internally
- Reduced cost of ownership
Speaker notes
Define independence concretely. Next slide shows where control lives.
Drupal already gives governments a level of control most platforms do not.
Slide 8
What AI in Drupal Looks Like
Content + AI & Integration Patterns
- Summarization / Translation
- Content generation / Search
- New accessibility improvements
- Speed of development
- External APIs for external data
- Choices of local models
- Hybrid systems
- Your Agentic CMS
Speaker notes
Make it practical. Next slide defines the risk.
This is where most teams are starting today. The question is how this is implemented.
Slide 9
The Risk: Proprietary Integration
Vendor-lock in with AI is riskier than just the code
- Single AI provider
- No abstraction layer
- No independent validation
- Clear lack of sovereignty
- Hard to switch when prices increase
- Difficult to audit between versions
- Just not yours to control
- Just like proprietary technology
Speaker notes
Show failure mode. Next slide shows alternative.
Most early AI implementations look like this. It works initially, but creates long-term dependency.
Slide 10
Drupal Allows AI Flexibility
We should choose based on what allows us control
Models
- Large Language Models (LLMs)
- Small Language Models (SLMs)
- Proprietary or Open Source AI
- Training data & weights
Deployment
- Cloud
- Local
- Hybrid
- Grid-aware
Speaker notes
Show options. Next slide expands to governance.
Architecture determines control, not the model alone.
Slide 11
Platforms == Constitutions
Systems we choose limit our choices & are buttressed
- How digital tools are accessed
- What software can be used
- If we can share our work
- What can be known
- Intellectual Property
- Contract rights
- Silos of responsibility
- Code is law (governance)
Speaker notes
Make analogy explicit. Next slide shows problem.
Constitutions are meant to be transparent. Platforms are not.
Slide 12
Where Control Actually Resides
Most of the world is leasing the bulk of software from US owned companies
These companies own:
- Infrastructure
- Software
- Patents
- Roadmap
The governance of this software is almost entirely outside of Canada
The future will be controlled by those that own digital (including AI)
Speaker notes
Clarify structure. Next slide connects to Canada.
Drupal helps at one layer, but broader issues remain.
Slide 13
☹ Canada's Digital Sovereignty ☹
Canadian ventures with valuable IP don't stay that way
Today's focus
- Data sovereignty
- AI compute ownership
Missing
- Software control
- Platform control
Speaker notes
Highlight gap. Next slide introduces AI control.
Owning data is not enough if systems are external.
Slide 14
Small Language Models (SLMs)
Open Source SLMs help innovation
- Domain-specific customization
- Lower cost maintenance
- Audit-ability
- Cross-training for models
- Local deployment
- Predictable outcomes
- Open source collaboration
- Ownership and knowledge will stay Canadian
Speaker notes
Present alternative. Next slide expands globally.
This is a strategic direction, not just technical.
Slide 15
Brussels, Berlin, Estonia, Oh My!
Open source events, Europe is happening!
- EU Open Source Week (FOSDEM)
- Germany's Sovereign Tech Agency
- EU Sovereign Tech Fund (proposal)
- EU is investing in open ecosystems
Slide 16
International Momentum
Europe is leading the way!
- European procurement reform
- Government Open Source Program Offices (OSPOs)
- Discussions in the European Parliament
- UN Open Source Week
Trends
- Dangers with US Technology
- Reducing dependency on US
- Increased domestic & EU control
Speaker notes
Validate direction. Next slide returns to open source.
In Europe, they've realized that Digital Sovereignty is Security. If a foreign corporation can turn off your document editor or your AI assistant because of a trade dispute or a change in TOS, you aren't a sovereign nation; you're a tenant. Canada is currently the world’s most polite tenant. We need to start acting like landlords of our own digital infrastructure.
Slide 17
Germany’s ZenDiS: Beyond Funding
Digital Sovereignty as a Federal Mandate
- The Center for Digital Sovereignty
- Wholly-owned federal agency (ZenDiS)
- Managing the openDesk suite
- Goal: Total exit from MS 365/Google
- Open CoDE Repository
- Single source for all public code
- Taxpayer funded = Taxpayer owned
- Standardizing OSS procurement
Sovereignty isn't a checkbox; it’s a dedicated institutional capacity.
Speaker notes
ZenDiS is the "missing link" in Canada. They didn't just buy open source; they built a federal entity to ensure they never lose control again. It's the ultimate implementation of "Public Money, Public Code."
Slide 18
The EU AI Act & Audit-ability
The "Brussels Effect" is (hopefully) coming to Canada
- The Right to Know
- Mandatory audits for "High Risk" AI
- Requires transparency of training data
- Explicit protections for OSS developers
- Mirroring EU's risk-based approach
- You cannot audit a "Black Box"
- Proprietary AI = Unverifiable Government
- Is it acting on our best interest?
If we cannot peek inside the model, should we deploy it?
Speaker notes
Europe is codifying the "Right to Audit." Canada's upcoming AIDA follows this lead. If we bake proprietary, closed-source AI into our Drupal sites, we may find ourselves legally unable to meet transparency requirements in 2027.
Slide 19
Canada: Builders or Tenants?
Escaping the "Branch Plant" Digital Economy
- The "Tenant" Risk
- Relying on US-SaaS exports data
- No control over the roadmap
- Profits leave the country
- The "Builder" Opportunity
- Drupal keeps IP in Canada
- Local agencies = Local experts
- Procurement as Industrial Policy
Europe is investing in "Strategic Autonomy." Why is Canada still paying rent?
Speaker notes
Connect this to the Ottawa audience. Every time we choose a proprietary SaaS over an open platform like Drupal, we are opting to be tenants rather than owners. Europe is proving that "Strategic Autonomy" is a viable economic path.
Slide 20
Open Source as Public Infrastructure
Common public investments are like roads
- Must be maintained
- Must be inspectable
- Must be shared
- We all depend on them
- Transparency
- Better government services
- Opportunities for entrepreneurs
- Economic growth
- Greater security
Speaker notes
Reinforce model. Next slide connects back to Drupal.
This is where Drupal fits in.
Slide 21
Small Business Matters
Small businesses drive Drupal's development
- Drive innovation
- Reduce concentration risk
- Enable competition
- Employ a lot of Canadians
- Support the local economy & tax base
They are often excluded from most government procurement
Speaker notes
Economic dimension. Next slide shows the CTA.
Healthy ecosystems require participation.
Slide 22
Call to Action
If you cannot replace it, you cannot control it
- Think of Drupal as infrastructure
- Look for new places for open source
- Resist and unsubscribe, Scott Galloway
- Talking to your representatives
- Public Money, Public Code
Speaker notes
End strong. Next slide opens discussion.
This is about intentional architecture.
Slide 23
Questions?
What are you building today that you may not control tomorrow?
- Website
- ox.ca
- Social
- Mastodon @[email protected]
- Bluesky @ox.ca
- Slides
- ox.ca/p/5
Slide 24
---