AI Expert Commentary on Small Language Models for FutureCIO

FutureCIO editorial opportunity - 29 Dec 2025 Small language models (SLMs) are rapidly emerging as a crucial asset for enterprises, particularly in regulated sectors such as government, finance, healthcare, and law, due to their cost efficiency, privacy, and customization capabilities. Recent research indicates a notable shift, with 50% of SLM-developing companies deploying products, while the market's Mosaic score reflects their growing viability. Open-source SLMs allow organisations to fine-tune models with proprietary data, ensuring compliance and transparency in AI decision-making. As nations invest in sovereign AI and local solutions, SLMs are set to challenge traditional power dynamics in the AI landscape. I am looking for expert commentaries on any or all of the following questions: 1. How can small language models enhance compliance and data sovereignty in your organisation? 2. What strategies would you implement (are implementing) to balance the benefits of AI with the need for robust security protocols? 3. How do you envision the role of sovereign AI models evolving in the next five years within your industry? 4. What challenges do you foresee will be critical in deploying open-source SLMs versus proprietary models? 5. How can regional partnerships enhance the development of AI solutions tailored to local needs? Interested parties, please let me know. CXOCIETY FutureCIO FutureCISO FutureCFO FutureCOO Clarise Goh Nigel Standley Perry Zhao Craig S. SIEN CHEE HOE (. Christine Tjahjadi Geet Kaur Allan Tan Arra Czarina Igno Melinda Ramo Baylon Sukhpreet Kaur Kavita Balakrishnan Melinda I. Raymond Lau David Chieng Alvin Lai Justina Low Selvi R Aida Mekonnen Emma Keen #artificialintelligence #generativeAI #smalllanguagemodels #sll