UK Council for Science and Technology advises the Minister for AI on AI sovereignty

The Council for Science and Technology (CST) published on 19 October 2026 a letter in which, in July 2026, it advised the Minister for AI on how the UK can achieve AI sovereignty. CST defines AI sovereignty as having sufficient agency across the AI value chain to deliver the UK's chosen outcomes, capture economic and public value for the UK, and maintain resilience under duress. It made four recommendations: develop a UK AI Sovereignty Plan based on a clear overview of the AI ecosystem; set up clear governance and coordination for AI sovereignty choices; invest now in the foundations of long-term domestic AI capability, including skills, data and public trust; and maintain trusted access to leading AI models while building selected UK capability. The letter is advice to the minister. It is not a statement of government policy.

What it means for business: no new rules; the letter signals possible future UK choices on domestic AI capability and access to leading models.