Data sovereignties in the GenAI economics: From data-opolies to data cooperatives, trust, and geopolitical governance

Calzada, Igor ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4269-830X 2026. Data sovereignties in the GenAI economics: From data-opolies to data cooperatives, trust, and geopolitical governance. Presented at: 2nd International Conference on Digital Sovereignty (ICDS) 2025, Oslo, Norway, 27 - 31 October 2025. Published in: Misra, Sanjay, Kvalvik, Petter, Kjølerbakken, Kai and Jørgensen, Per-Arne eds. 2nd International Conference on Digital Sovereignty: ICDS 2025 Proceedings. Springer Proceedings in Complexity Cham, Switzerland: Springer, pp. 497-507. 10.1007/978-3-032-21524-6_39

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Abstract

In the context of the ICDS 2025 (2nd International Conference on Digital Sovereignty; Track 5 Geopolitics and Trust), this paper examines how data sovereignties have become a foundational challenge in the GenAI era. The monopolistic power of Big Tech platforms—so-called data-opolies—undermines democratic accountability, reshapes political agency, and destabilizes institutional trust by concentrating data flows within opaque algorithmic infrastructures and extractive AI economies. The paper reframes data sovereignty as an issue that manifests directly in technical domains, ranging from cybersecurity protocols and interoperable cloud architectures to federated learning systems and algorithmic accountability frameworks. Rather than treating sovereignty as an abstract principle, the analysis shows how it must be embedded in infrastructures, protocols, and governance models that balance social values with computational design. Yet, the computer science community has only marginally engaged with these debates, focusing on narrow technical fixes without addressing the structural asymmetries of data power. This paper issues a wake-up call: sovereignty is a systems-level design problem that demands interdisciplinary engagement. Against the extractive logic driving GenAI Economics, the paper highlights emancipatory alternatives such as data cooperatives, public-interest digital commons, and accountability mechanisms rooted in civic participation. These models introduce new requirements for scalability, privacy, and incentive design that cannot be resolved without computer science contributions. The paper advances a roadmap for policymakers, civil society, and technologists to embed sovereignty in trustworthy, resilient, and geopolitically relevant digital infrastructures.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item - published (Paper)
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Publisher:	Springer
ISBN:	9783032215239
ISSN:	2213-8684
Last Modified:	28 Jul 2026 14:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/188591

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