From Decentralised Data and Discovery to Federated AI

ESPRESSO Workshop
on
Sovereign Intelligence

London, 13 November 2026

Artificial intelligence depends on access to large, diverse and continually evolving sources of data. Much of that data and the infrastructure that is used to train AI systems is stored in centralised platforms and data silos. An alternative is to ask whether high quality AI applications can be created across distributed resources while individuals and organisations retain control over their data, models and participation.

We use Sovereign Intelligence as a starting point to discuss this question: how can information be discovered, shared and learned from across independently controlled document, data and compute resources, while preserving the rights, policies and agency of the people and organisations involved? 

Current policy and technology developments approach different parts of this challenge in ways that do not necessarily meet. Decentralised data infrastructures and platforms such as Solid explore ways of access control to personal or organisational online datastores but the governance side of individuals and communities granting access to resources is not addressed. Federated learning frameworks enable models to be trained across repositories without first bringing those data into a central repository for processing. At another layer, UK initiatives around sovereign AI and compute address questions of availability and access to AI infrastructures. Recent work on data intermediaries aim to address questions on delegating data rights and building trust which is one aspect of governance in data ecosystems. 

The EPSRC ESPRESSO project approaches this challenge through the problem of information discovery. ESPRESSO is investigating mechanisms through which data controllers (individuals or organisations) can retain control over access to their resources and over the metadata exposed to third parties, with initial work focusing on personal online datastores in the domain of health and well-being; that was the focus of the first ESPRESSO workshop.

The second ESPRESSO workshop will bring together researchers, technology practitioners, policymakers and members of the public to explore the emerging concept of Sovereign Intelligence, which is the step after information discovery in environments where individuals and organisations retain access control to their data. The workshop will explore the following questions: 

  • What do we mean by Sovereign Intelligence, and what must remain sovereign? 
  • How can information discovery and machine learning operate across independently controlled data and compute resources? 
  • Can decentralised, federated and centralised approaches be combined to address each other’s weaknesses?
  • What are the technical, economic, governance and policy approaches to foster Sovereign Intelligence? 

DATE AND VENUE: 

  • 13 November 2026, CLO B01 Theatre, Birkbeck University of London, London, UK 

REGISTRATION LINK: 

  • Participation is free of charge but requires registration. Kindly fill out the form [TBC] to confirm your participation. 

ORGANISING COMMITTEE: 

  • Mohammad Bahrani, University of Southampton 
  • Faria Ferooz, University of Southampton 
  • Mohamed Ragab, Birmingham City University 
  • Thanassis Tiropanis, University of Southampton  
  • Alexandra Poulovassilis, Birkbeck, University of London  
  • Age Chapman, University of Southampton  
  • George Roussos, Birkbeck, University of London  

WORKSHOP PROGRAMME:

ESPRESSO Workshop on Sovereign Intelligence
From Decentralised Data and Discovery to Federated AI

Welcome
09:00 – 09:30 Registration and breakfast
09:30 – 09:40 Welcome and opening remarks

Framing Sovereign Intelligence 
09:40 – 10:00 Decentralised Data and Infrastructures 
10:00 – 10:20 Federated Learning and Distributed AI 
10:20 – 10:40 Decentralised Search and Sovereign Intelligence 
10:40 – 11:00 Coffee break

Technology and Policy Lightning Talks and Demonstrations
11:00 – 12:30 Speakers to be confirmed

 
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch 

Directions 
13:30 – 14:15 Parallel roundtables

  • Architecture and technology
  • Governance and sovereignty 
  • Adoption, economics and public value 

14:15 – 14:45 Roundtable reports and closing panel: What should happen next?

14:45 – 15:00 Closing remarks 

15:00 Onwards Coffee and networking