NSO Founder Urges AI Sovereignty Push Amid Tensions

Shalev Hulio, co-founder of NSO Group—the Israeli surveillance firm behind the controversial Pegasus spyware—has publicly urged governments worldwide to abandon dependency on U.S.-based AI platforms and instead adopt sovereign AI ecosystems. This statement was made during an industry conference in Tel Aviv, where he argued that reliance on American cloud services poses national security risks, particularly in intelligence sharing frameworks with Washington. This appeal aligns with growing global skepticism toward Big Tech monopolies and reflects broader geopolitical shifts post-2023 U.S.–China tech rivalry. Countries such as Saudi Arabia, India, and Brazil have already initiated national AI strategies aimed at reducing exposure to Western-controlled infrastructure. Hulio’s advocacy adds weight given his background in state-level cyber capabilities; however, critics note past controversies involving Pegasus misuse, which could undermine credibility in his current push for digital autonomy. If adopted widely, this movement may catalyze balkanization of the internet landscape, fragmenting data governance norms and intensifying regional competition for control over algorithmic decision-making tools used in defense, finance, and public administration.