The Council for Science and Technology (CST) provided advice to the Minister for AI in July 2026 regarding how the UK can achieve 'AI sovereignty'. This advice aims to help the UK build the capability to make strategic choices about current and future AI technology.
CST defines AI sovereignty as the ability to maintain sufficient agency across the AI value chain. This is intended to enable the UK to deliver its chosen outcomes, capture economic and public value, and maintain resilience under duress.
The CST made four recommendations to the government. These include developing a UK AI Sovereignty Plan based on an overview of the AI ecosystem, establishing clear governance and coordination for AI sovereignty choices, and investing in the foundations of long-term domestic AI capability, encompassing skills, data, and public trust. Additionally, the CST recommended maintaining trusted access to leading AI models while simultaneously building selected UK capability.