*PUBLICATIONS

Weaving a Common Vision A dialogue on how to strengthen media’s bargaining power over Generative AI and safeguard democracy

The developments in generative and General Purpose AI (GPAI) systems have raised concerns about extractive data practices, market concentration by a small number of big tech providers, and pervasive weaknesses in data governance. These have implications for how public interest media, a key cornerstone of our democracies, sustain their content production and protect their integrity. The Data Tank facilitated an action research project and ecosystem dialogue to convene key stakeholders in the media sector and identify strategies that can leverage the power of small and medium media organisations in Europe vis a vis large Generative AI providers. The goal was to ensure that the media not only serve the public better across contexts and languages but also derive fair value from their public interest work. The expected outcome by June 2026 was to have brought together an engaged community and potential coalition, with surfaced needs, and defined potential pathways for public-interest media to protect and leverage their power and data in the AI era. The target participants for this phase were small and regional media organisations and networks in Europe in particular, although the process convened a range of actors to understand the different views and potential leverages across sectors and geographies on the way forward.‍ This report documents the convening process and the resulting areas of common ground and recommendations for the next steps.

Learn More

*BLOG

In Search for a Vision: The EU’s Approach to Tech Sovereignty Needs to be Steered by Clearer Public Interest Outcomes Rather than a ‘Race’ to the Unknown

The European Commission finally published its proposed European Technological Sovereignty Package last week to strengthen its autonomy and resilience as it develops its industrial strategy and digital ecosystem in a complex geopolitical landscape. In addition to the main document laying out the overall approach, the package includes the non-binding EU Open Source Strategy, the proposal for a Chips Act 2.0 to strengthen the semiconductor ecosystem and boost domestic demand, the also legislative proposal Cloud and AI Development Act (CADA) to address cloud dependency, and a Strategic Roadmap for Digitalisation and AI in Energy. In this article, The Data Tank revisits its recent recommendations on the way forward for Europe’s digital and data strategies through the sovereignty lens proposed in this package. The focus on open source, the more explicit mention of environmentally sustainable measures to developing the European cloud computing capacity are welcome signs on the way forward. Yet, a clearer vision that is based on public interest tangible outcomes, as we propose below, is needed to steer Europe’s approach to digital sovereignty.

Learn More

*PUBLICATIONS

Media, Democracy and Generative AI: A Critical Juncture

As part of the 'Strengthening Media in the Age of Generative AI' action-research and dialogue, The Data Tank conducted a literature review which included a total of 221 academic, industry, and policy sources (you can read more details about the methodology in the report). The aim was to map the challenges that Generative AI poses to public interest media in Europe –and to small and medium-sized organisations in particular– and the ways forward being proposed to address them.

Learn More

*BLOG

New Course Announcement: Data Stewardship Bootcamp in Torino

Unlocking Non-Traditional Data for Pandemic Response & Modeling | Data Stewardship Bootcamp

Learn More