MONTREAL, July 22, 2026 /CNW/ -- The century's defining inequality may not be measured in dollars, but in access to artificial intelligence and the data on which it depends. That concern echoed throughout an invitation-only gathering of Nobel laureates in Rome this month, where Canadian AI sovereignty expert Richard St-Pierre contributed to a landmark declaration and delivered a pointed message to the world's middle powers: act together now, or risk becoming "digital colonies".
Held from July 14 to 16 in Italy, the Global Nobel Laureates Assembly on Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear War brought together close to 200 participants from around the world, including 30 Nobel laureates, policymakers, researchers, executives, and international thought leaders. Representing Levio, St-Pierre was selected by the Assembly's organizers to chair one of the few AI-focused working groups and to help develop recommendations on the future of AI governance. Discussions culminated on July 16 in the signing of the Rome Declaration on an Unarmed and Disarming Peace in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, a framework intended to promote the responsible development and governance of AI in the service of humanity.
As Chair of the working group on Democracy, Sovereignty, Governance and Human Freedom in the Age of AI, St-Pierre, Levio's Quantum & AI Sovereignty Senior Advisor, led discussions on some of the defining questions facing nations and organizations today: AI governance, digital sovereignty, information integrity, privacy, civic participation, and strategic dependence on foreign technologies. The group examined how democratic societies can govern digital public spaces, counter the concentration of technological power, and ensure that AI strengthens accountability and democratic institutions rather than eroding trust, freedom, and human agency.
The Risk of "Digital Colonies"
Building a competitive foundational AI model today requires levels of investment beyond the reach of all but a handful of states and corporations. For St-Pierre, the urgency is structural. Left unaddressed, that imbalance places growing influence over the infrastructure of national life -- how citizens learn, work, govern, and access information -- in the hands of a small number of foreign providers. In that context, dependence ceases to be merely a commercial matter and becomes a question of sovereignty.
"In the 20th century, inequality was defined by access to financial wealth. In the 21st, it will be defined by access to AI and the data that feeds it. Canada has a distinct and leading role to play in how this technology unfolds, because we combine deep technical capability with a tradition of multilateralism and responsible governance. But no middle power can do this alone. If we fail to act together, we will not simply fall behind; we risk becoming digital colonies, renting the infrastructure of our own societies from powers that do not answer to our citizens. That is still a future we can choose against. The window is open, but it is closing."
-- Richard St-Pierre, Quantum & AI Sovereignty Senior Advisor, Levio
A recurring theme in St-Pierre's contributions to the Assembly was how middle powers can strengthen their position through greater collaboration rather than attempting to out-spend the AI superpowers. Topics included sovereign data, collective approaches to digital sovereignty, and cooperation among like-minded nations.
For Canada, these questions are no longer theoretical. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in public services, healthcare, education, and economic development, control over data, digital infrastructure, and AI systems is increasingly tied to competitiveness, resilience, and sovereignty. The discussions in Rome reflected a growing recognition that middle powers will need to work together if they hope to shape, rather than simply consume, the next generation of AI technologies.
That challenge is already part of a broader conversation in Canada and internationally about how middle powers can strengthen their position in an increasingly concentrated technological landscape. At the World Economic Forum in Davos last January, Prime Minister Mark Carney urged the world's middle powers to recognize their collective weight and act together, warning that "integration becomes the source of your subordination" when dependence is turned into leverage. Canada combines established AI expertise with a longstanding tradition of multilateral cooperation and governance, assets that could support a broader collaborative approach among middle powers.
Governing What Comes Next
Also at the Assembly, Marc-Antoine Pinard, Levio's Chief Technology Officer & Head of Artificial Intelligence, facilitated discussions on digital sovereignty, data governance, trusted infrastructure, and AI ethics, exploring how organizations and nations can balance innovation with accountability while retaining control over critical digital assets, infrastructure, and decision-making.
"Gatherings such as this Assembly matter, because the choices we make now will affect what the next generation inherits. AI is no longer simply a tool we use; it is a consequential actor in the systems that influence how we work, decide, and live. We are moving beyond improving the systems we already have toward a fundamentally different outcome."
-- Marc-Antoine Pinard, Chief Technology Officer & Head of Artificial Intelligence, Levio
For Levio, these questions mirror the choices facing organizations and governments across North America, the middle powers, and the Global South as they race to scale AI responsibly while keeping control of their data, models, infrastructure, and decisions.
"The nations that thrive in the age of AI will not be the ones with the most computing power. They will be the ones with the courage to act together, while they still can."
-- Richard St-Pierre
About Levio
Levio is one of Canada's two largest fully Canadian-owned system integrators specializing in digital transformation. With close to 2,000 professionals, Levio helps organizations turn vision into measurable value. The firm excels at orchestrating large-scale, complex initiatives, leveraging deep expertise in AI, cloud, cybersecurity, and data. Levio serves diverse sectors including government, financial services, insurance, healthcare, aerospace, and retail.
Levio's commitment to responsible AI is also reflected in its broader industry commitments. The firm is a signatory to We Must Act Now: A Statement on AI's Transformation of the Economy and to the Government of Canada's Voluntary Code of Conduct on the Responsible Development and Management of Advanced Generative AI Systems.
SOURCE Levio
Source: Anne‑Marie Côté, Partner and Co‑Leader, Communications & Marketing, Levio, anne‑[email protected]; For media requests, please contact: Jessica Rousseau, Senior Consultant, TACT, [email protected], Mobile: 438‑396‑8288
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