Data sovereignty in the age of AI: questions every leader should ask

Every time staff paste documents into an AI tool or an organisation moves records to a foreign cloud, decisions are being made about where data lives and who can access it. Data sovereignty is about making those decisions deliberately.

Where does our data go?

Map which AI and cloud services your teams use, where they store data, and whether that data is used to train their models. The answers are often surprising.

What does the law require?

Kenya's Data Protection Act places obligations on cross-border transfers of personal data, and some sectors face stricter rules. Your AI choices need to respect them.

What are our options?

Enterprise AI agreements, regional hosting, open models running on your own infrastructure and clear data-sharing agreements all give you more control. The right mix depends on how sensitive your data is.

Who decides?

Data sovereignty is a governance question, not just an ICT one. Leaders should set clear policies, assign data owners and review AI vendor contracts carefully.