A summary of the roundtable “AI Sovereignty and Global Interdependence: Navigating Industry Realities”, hosted by the Asia Society Policy Institute in New Delhi. The discussion examined data sharing, legal liability and frameworks for international cooperation, centred on the paradox of AI sovereignty and interdependence.
Against the backdrop of the Indian government’s semiconductor investment and the expansion of AI data centres, the Asia Society Policy Institute held a roundtable in New Delhi on 12 August 2026. Organised in cooperation with JSW School of Public Policy and IIM-A, the event provided a forum for discussing AI governance and sovereignty. The key points and recommendations were compiled under off-the-record conditions.
Participants shared the view that complete control of the AI value chain is unrealistic as the digital economy and AI infrastructure underpin the global economy. Based on the division of roles among countries and mutual interdependence, India was said to need to maintain strategic autonomy while building beneficial dependencies with global partners. A hub-and-spoke model involving AIGEG, TPEC and AISI was presented as a framework for AI governance.
India was said to need to expand its AI governance framework into a globally interoperable framework, with alignment with plurilateral frameworks such as BRICS, the OECD and the G7 placed on the agenda. Data sharing and liability rules were identified as central issues, and a proposal was shared to consider multilayered standardisation based on ISO 42001:2023.
Examples of using the National Data Governance Framework, Negd, to promote international cooperation on data sharing were introduced. Proposals included expanding non-personal data through public APIs and managing data in defence and critical infrastructure sectors in air-gapped environments. Establishing liability rules was said to enhance practical legal certainty for businesses.