Amit Abstract Digital Sovereignty in the Age of AI Amit Singhal

Digital Sovereignty in the Age of AI : Understanding though Legal Framework

-Amit Singhal

Assistant Manager (Legal)

The Cotton Corporation of India Limited, Navi Mumbai

+91 9827564438; amitsinghal.nliu@gmail.com

Abstarct

Data being the new gold, nations around the globe are fighting for their digital supremacy over others. The operation of digital infrastructures, storage, processing and transmission of digital data has become a major concern for the countries. That’s where the concept digital sovereignty comes into prominence as no country wants to be dependent on any other country for its digital usage and security. This becomes critical and more challenging particular in the context of Artificial Intelligence (AI). In the case of India which is the world largest democracy, has one of the largest digital user base. Despite this fact, India has made significant progress in catching up with the global standards in maintaining the digital sovereignty and robust digital ecosystem. However, there lies a number of challenges including but not limited to scattered governance and evolving legal landscape. Certainly, in 2017 the Apex Court of the country has laid down the foundation stone of data protection by declaring the right to privacy as a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. Besides this, before the enactment of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP) in the year 2023, the digital landscape in India was largely governed by the Information Technology act, 2000 and allied rules and regulations. Having introduced Aadhar, DigiYatra, DigiLocker, UPI like Digital Public Infrastructures, India has a lot to do especially with the onslaught of AI. In Feb 2026, India hosted a high-profile AI India AI Impact Summit in Delhi, attracting global tech leaders, policymakers, and innovators with the aim of showcasing AI for inclusive growth, sustainability and global collaboration. Having said so, it would be imperative look at and understand the interplay between digital sovereignty and AI from the lens of legal landscape.

Key words: Artificial Intelligence, DPDP, IndiAI, DPI, digital sovereignty.