For as long as humans have traded, we have traded data (facts or statistics) about the world we encounter. Fast forward to today, and the role data plays in our lives has evolved substantially. Individuals, businesses and governments use data to create new sectors and services delivered via the internet, which we interact with daily, such as the cloud, apps and artificial intelligence. As a result, these services are creating a new economy built on cross-border data flows.

In this talk, Susan Aaronson, CIGI senior fellow and an expert on digital trade, explores how these new sectors will change the Canadian, US and global economies, and how we should think about governing this new economy.