Co-operation: Wales & the Basque Country – How Do Small Nations Cooperate? Data Cooperatives and Anticipatory AI Governance. Senedd Welsh Parliament Conference

This presentation was delivered by Prof. Dr. Igor Calzada, MBA, FeRSA, at the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) Conference in Cardiff on 24th September 2025. It examines how small nations such as Wales and the Basque Country can cooperate by pioneering data cooperative models and anticipatory AI governance frameworks. The lecture situates cooperation between small nations in the broader context of digital sovereignty and innovation governance, emphasizing how community-driven approaches to data ownership and the responsible regulation of AI can enhance democratic resilience. By framing data as a commons and embedding cooperative governance structures, small nations can act as living laboratories for anticipatory governance in the face of accelerating technological change. Key themes include: · Data cooperatives as instruments to counter data-opolies and promote citizen trust. · Anticipatory AI governance to navigate emerging risks and opportunities of generative and urban AI. · Innovation systems for small nations as agile, place-based strategies to foster cooperation beyond traditional state power. · Comparative insights from Wales and the Basque Country as case studies of cooperative experimentation. The presentation draws on recent publications, including: · Calzada, I. (2025), Data Sovereignties in the GenAI Age: From Data-opolies to Data Cooperatives, Trust, and Geopolitical Governance. Procedia Computer Science. · Calzada, I., Németh, G., & Al-Radhi, M.S. (2025), Trustworthy AI for Whom? GenAI Detection Techniques of Trust Through Decentralized Web3 Ecosystems. Big Data & Cognitive Computing, 9(3), 62. · Calzada, I. (2024), How Do Small Nations Cooperate? An Action Research Framework for Wales and the Basque Country. Regional Studies, Regional Science, 11(1), 87–102.