A growing shift in global technology strategy is taking shape as countries reassess their dependence on foreign artificial intelligence systems. According to Andrew Ng, recent policy choices by the United States are playing a key role in this change.
Andrew Ng, co-founder of Coursera and a leading figure in artificial intelligence, has warned that US policies are unintentionally pushing allies away from American AI technology. In a detailed post on X, Ng said these actions are accelerating interest in what is now widely referred to as sovereign AI.
Andrew said that policy decisions taken across several US administrations have made many countries cautious about relying too heavily on American technology, especially in a strategic area like AI. He explained that “Sovereign AI” refers to a nation’s ability to access and deploy AI systems without depending on foreign powers that could limit or cut off access. While the term does not have a fixed definition, its appeal is rising as governments seek greater control over critical technology.
Andrew pointed to several developments that, in his view, weakened global trust. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, US sanctions resulted in ordinary Russian citizens losing access to credit cards, showing how geopolitical decisions can directly affect civilian technology use. More recently, export controls under President Joe Biden restricted AI chip sales to many countries, including US allies.
He added that under President Donald Trump, the “America First” approach increased concerns through tariffs, harsh language toward allies, and a tougher immigration environment. Ng also cited widely shared footage of US immigration enforcement actions, saying these have discouraged skilled professionals from traveling to the country due to fears of arbitrary detention.
Andrew said AI is now central to economic competitiveness and national security, which is why governments want assurance that no single foreign actor can control their access. Full independence is unlikely, as AI chips are largely designed in the US, made in Taiwan, and depend on supply chains linked to China. As a result, countries are looking beyond US-based models from firms such as OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic.
This has increased adoption of open-weight AI models developed in China, including DeepSeek, Qwen, Kimi, and GLM, especially outside the US.
Andrew said open source offers the fastest path to sovereign AI. He compared it to reliance on Linux, Python, and PyTorch, noting that no single country controls these tools. He highlighted efforts such as the UAE’s K2 Think model and similar initiatives underway in India, France, South Korea, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, and other nations.
While Andrew warned that global fragmentation and falling trust among democracies is damaging, he also noted a possible upside. Increased competition, similar to regional search engines challenging global giants, could slow consolidation and boost innovation.
He concluded that policies meant to protect US interests may instead widen global access to AI by strengthening open source and non-US ecosystems.
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