Data access determines who wins the global AI competition.
Data is the lifeblood of AI. Those with access to data will build better AI. If one society like Europe restricts data collection while another like China aggressively pushes it, China will over time have more and better models. Data laws are the new trade laws. For example, the EU has regulated that gender should not be used in AI models, which may lead to less effective risk distribution and higher costs. We may be willing to pay that price, but what if other societies are not?
— Emmanuel Macron On AI: We Are Regulating Ourselves Out Of The Market · Forbes