Data Protectionism and Isolation

Tariffs may protect industries, but data isolation cripples innovation — AI, like the internet, thrives on connection, not division.

Originally published on my LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/data-protectionism-isolation-stephane-derosiaux-ivuke

The internet won because it connected, not divided.

Today, data isn’t a by-product, it’s the currency of progress.

I’m not an economist, but using prohibitive tariffs seems like a short-term solution that will spark global economic wars and lead to more isolation than ever before.

Made In “World”

No product is truly “made” in one country. Everything is “made in” multiple countries, from raw materials to components to final assembly. Taxing imports taxes collaboration.

In an AI-driven world, industries are flourishing because of collaboration:

• Banks that share fraud patterns cut losses by 30%.
• NASA shares climate data with 100+ nations to predict disasters.
• A cancer-detection AI needs anonymized records from across the world, not just one country.
• A carbon-tracking model requires worldwide data: satellite feeds, factory emissions, and deforestation metrics.

We can’t treat data like a guarded resource within organizations. Artificial borders create scarcity, inefficiencies, and reduce ROI.

Shared Intelligence > Isolated Intelligence

The best economic models come from collective intelligence and sharing. How to apply this to data inside organizations?

• Organize and describe data: a shared dataset without context is just noise.
• Expose data securely: let teams and partners build on it. You might (will) be surprised.
• Reward reciprocity: like trade agreements, data-sharing can drive mutual benefits. (retailers sharing anonymized sales trends with suppliers cut waste by 18%, because they can anticipate and reduce inventory excess)

We Love Data Silos

Tariffs create the illusion of control. Data silos does too.

History shows that collaboration beats isolation, every time. Let others reshape, improve, and yes, profit from data. Innovation isn’t a zero-sum game.

The next breakthroughs in your organizations, or medicine, climate tech, or AI won’t come from a single country or company. They’ll come from the knowledge bridges we build today (see what is happening with DeepSeek…).