Data Minefield? How AI Is Prodding Governments to Rethink Trade in Data

DATA MINEFIELD? How AI Is Prodding Governments to Rethink Trade in Data

Many of the world’s leaders are focused on the opportunities presented by AI the machines, that, u systems or applications that can perform tasks

until recently, could only be performed by a human. In September 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Russian schoolchildren, “Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world (Putin quoted in RT.com 2017). Many countries, including Canada, China, the United States and EU member states, are competing to both lead the development of AI and dominate markets for AI.

Recent Publications

Why the World Needs a New Approach to Governing Cross-border Data Flows

Data Is Different: Why the World Needs a New Approach to Governing Cross-border Data Flows

Companies, governments and individuals are using data to create new services such as apps, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. These data-driven services rely on large pools of data and a relatively unhindered flow of data across borders (few market access or governance barriers). The current approach to governing cross-border data flows through trade agreements has not led to binding, universal or interoperable rules governing the use of data. Most countries with significant data-driven firms are in the process of debating how to regulate these services and the data that underpins them.

Recent Publications

A Comprehensive Approach to Digital Trade Provisions in NAFTA 2.0

Information Please: A Comprehensive Approach to Digital Trade Provisions in NAFTA 2.0

In 2017, the International Telecommunications Union reported that almost half (48 percent) of the world’s 7.6 billion people are online. Every day, more people — especially citizens in the developing world — gain internet access. As these individuals supply, demand and send ever more data across borders, they are also creating a global digital economy. As data flows between individuals, firms and governments across borders, these entities process that data, creating new services. Because many of these cross-border data flows are directly or indirectly associated with a commercial transaction, they are essentially “traded.”

Recent Publications