From Oil to Water: Governing AI as a Global Public Good

(Pre AI Action Summit)

From Oil to Water: Governing AI as a Global Public Good

For years, we've been told that "data is the new oil" - a metaphor that has shaped how we think about, value, and govern the digital economy. But this comparison fundamentally mischaracterizes the nature of data and threatens to concentrate digital power in the hands of a few global tech superpowers. Oil is finite, extractive, and inherently competitive. Data is something else entirely.

Data, like water, is both fundamental and fluid. This isn't just a clever metaphor - it's a paradigm shift that could transform how we approach digital governance.

Like water, data, flows freely across borders and boundaries, can be pure or polluted, life-giving or destructive, is essential for human flourishing, becomes more valuable when shared and circulated. It must be carefully stewarded as a public good. Just as access to clean water is recognized as a fundamental human right, perhaps it's time to establish similar principles for data and the computational resources needed to process it. And just as civilizations historically emerged where water meets land, today's digital civilization is taking shape where data meets artificial intelligence.

This water-based paradigm becomes especially relevant when we consider the geopolitics of AI governance. While Western frameworks often emphasize individual data rights, Asian approaches have historically balanced individual rights with collective welfare. These cultural differences in how societies view the relationship between individual and community could enrich our approach to data governance. Just as water management requires international cooperation and shared stewardship across borders, the governance of data and AI demands a new kind of global dialogue that transcends the current US-China binary and incorporates diverse cultural perspectives on rights, responsibilities, and the public good.

Organizing a global forum with architects of change to explore this paradigm for data governance is not just timely—it's essential. By fostering dialogue between different cultural perspectives and governance traditions, we can move beyond the limitations of the "data as oil" metaphor and develop more sustainable, equitable frameworks for managing our shared digital resources.

This event is presented by Asia Society France & AI Safety Asia

Speakers to be announced shortly.