As AI adoption accelerates and SaaS platforms dominate the digital landscape, organisations—especially in the public sector—are increasingly faced with a critical question: who really owns and controls their digital future?

This interactive workshop explores the concept of digital sovereignty in the context of Drupal, AI, and sustainable web governance. Drawing on real-world experience from the University of Edinburgh’s EdWeb2 platform and the Edinburgh Language Model (ELM), we will examine how institutions can retain control over their content, data, and AI capabilities—while still delivering modern, scalable digital services.

Prerequisite

This session is open to everyone

Target Audience

Digital leads and web managers, Drupal architects and technical leads, Higher education and public sector professionals, Anyone exploring AI integration in a Drupal environment

Outline

Digital platforms are no longer just delivery mechanisms—they are strategic assets. Yet many organisations are drifting toward increased dependency on external SaaS providers and opaque AI systems.

At the University of Edinburgh, initiatives such as the EdWeb2 platform and the Edinburgh Language Model (ELM) reflect a different approach: one grounded in digital sovereignty, institutional control, and long-term sustainability.

This workshop will:

• Introduce the concept of digital sovereignty in a Drupal context
• Explore the risks and trade-offs of AI adoption, including data privacy, vendor lock-in, and governance
• Examine how platform strategy (like EdWeb2) can reduce duplication and improve sustainability
• Discuss the environmental and organisational dimensions of sustainable digital ecosystems

Interactive Activities

Participants will work in small groups on:

• Scenario exercises: Responding to real-world challenges (e.g. “Your organisation wants to deploy AI assistants—what are your options?”)
• Sovereignty mapping: Assessing where control currently sits across platforms, data, and AI
• Architecture sketching: Designing a “sovereign Drupal + AI” approach

Groups will share insights, compare approaches, and reflect on trade-offs.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop, participants will:

• Understand the concept of digital sovereignty and why it matters for Drupal organisations
• Be able to identify risks associated with AI adoption in terms of data, governance, and control
• Gain practical frameworks for evaluating build vs buy vs hybrid approaches
• Learn how platform strategies like EdWeb2 can support sustainability and governance
• Leave with actionable ideas to apply within their own organisations

Experience level
Anyone