Crazy Idea No. 46: Making Big Data Beneficial for All

Now here's a crazy idea: What if the data we all generate on a day to day basis benefited us, instead of the companies that collect it? It may sound nuts at first, but some AI experts see a future in which people hold full control over their data and smart digital assistants infused with AI work to protect and monetize a person's individual's data for his or her benefit. This vision of a more equitable big data world is one that's held by Sri Ambati. The H2O.ai founder and CEO sees a day not too far in the future in which people are empowered to control their own data as an asset, and even to profit directly from their data, which is something that only a handful of individuals are currently able to do. "Today, whether we want it or not, our data is stored on giant social networks," Ambati tells Datanami.