{
  "id": 19133919,
  "title": "Israel risks losing national sovereignty to foreign firms without AI strategy, top official warns",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/israel-risks-losing-national-sovereignty-to-foreign-firms-without-ai",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-11-09T10:20:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Jerusalem Post",
    "slug": "jerusalem-post",
    "url": "https://www.jpost.com/defense-and-tech/article-914307"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Israel faces the risk of losing national sovereignty to foreign companies unless it develops a robust AI strategy, according to top official Erez Askal. Speaking at an AI conference in Tel Aviv University, Askal warned that within five to seven years, essential services such as electricity, water, and healthcare could be controlled by foreign AI-powered systems, should Israel outsource its AI integration to multinational corporations primarily based in the US, China, or other overseas nations.\n\nTo prevent this outcome, Askal stressed the importance of Israel developing its own AI capabilities and data centers, in order to maintain control over the AI systems that will be integrated into its critical infrastructure. He emphasized that striking the right balance between rapid progress and thoughtful integration will be AI's main challenge going forward. In June, it was reported that while Israel is a leader in cybersecurity, it has lagged behind in overall AI development and is now trying to catch up. In June, the Israeli government approved a series of AI policies aimed at addressing this gap, with the appointment of Askal as the country's first AI Chief in October 2025, to oversee Israel's AI strategy in tandem with the Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD) Chief Yossi Karadi.\n\nThe AI bureau, which was established with a budget of NIS 120 million in 2026 and an additional NIS 13 million annually starting in 2027, aims to help Israel implement home-developed AI solutions instead of relying on foreign ones, create profitable Israeli products, develop regulations for the AI industry while avoiding overregulation, and combine big data and machine learning capabilities with real-world problem-solving. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized that AI is not just another technology, but a revolution that will impact various sectors of Israeli life and the country's international standing. Askal believes that Israel's comparative advantage lies in injecting AI into the physical world to make solutions smarter and more efficient, addressing problems like aircraft or drip irrigation.",
  "summary": "Israel's AI Chief Erez Askal said Israel must dash forward to develop its own AI capabilities and data centers to support those capabilities, so that it retains its independence.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}