“CIGI’s leadership on data governance is crucial because big data and its management is becoming one of the important public policy issues of our time.”

Chair's Message

Innovations in our digital world have significant impacts on how we communicate, conduct business and function as a society. In less than a generation, technological advances to artificial intelligence (AI) systems, driven by a wealth of big data, have led to scientific and industrial progress but also raised fears of privacy violations and a culture of mass surveillance.

These changes have come in such rapid succession — cryptocurrencies are quickly taking their place among financial services and AI systems based on big data have been blamed for misinformation campaigns — that they have outpaced current policies as well as global rules and regulations.

CIGI’s response to these questions has been timely and impactful. Through the Data Governance in the Digital Age series of essays and other work, numerous experts have proposed ways to handle data and intellectual property (IP) challenges internationally. They have also built a strong case for Canada to develop its own data strategy. Many of the ideas in the series have led to policy discussions in Ottawa and elsewhere and been discussed in editorial pages in national newspapers. The essays were collected into a printed special report, which is currently in its second printing.

CIGI’s leadership on data governance is crucial because big data and its management is becoming one of the important public policy issues of our time. Data’s relationship to public safety, cyber security and trade agreements, as well as privacy rights and ethical questions around AI, have a profound impact on local, national and international institutions.

Thanks to our partnerships with many private and public institutions, including the Governments of Canada and Ontario, and the City of Waterloo, CIGI is well positioned to insert new ideas into policy discourse and advance our collective responses to the complex challenges posed by today’s knowledge-based and data-driven global economy.

Jim Balsillie
Chair, CIGI Board of Directors

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