Oracle's Ellison: National Data Consolidation for AI Boost

Oracle Corporation (ORCL) Chairman Larry Ellison has proposed a bold strategy for governments to boost their AI potential: consolidate all national data into a unified database. Speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai alongside former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, Ellison emphasized the transformative potential of artificial intelligence across various sectors and the need for governments to embrace this technology to improve services and security.

Ellison's proposal involves aggregating diverse data types, such as spatial, economic, healthcare records, and infrastructure details, into a single repository. This centralized approach aims to facilitate comprehensive AI analysis, enabling governments to pose complex queries and derive actionable insights. By doing so, Ellison believes that governments can unlock personalized healthcare treatments, improved agricultural productivity, and better crop yield predictions, among other benefits.

However, this proposal raises significant privacy and security concerns. Critics argue that such extensive data consolidation could lead to pervasive surveillance and potential misuse of personal information. The recent concerns about Elon Musk's DOGE team having access to federal payment information show that the idea of a government having all information about all citizens is concerning, to say the least. When that data becomes all data and is accessible to a government-controlled AI, the potential for misuse is raised exponentially.

As governments consider integrating AI into public services, it's crucial to weigh the benefits of data-driven insights against the risks of centralized data repositories. Robust data governance frameworks and stringent privacy protections will be essential to ensure that technological advancements do not compromise individual rights.

Oracle CTO Larry Ellison wants to put a whole nation’s data into one big bank
With it, we could get better healthcare, social services and more, he says
Ellison claims he is ready to help the world’s governments get onboard
Oracle CTO Larry Ellison has said governments should centralize all their data, including citizen’s health data, to enhance services and security.
We’ve already been presented with countless studies touching on poor data foundations, often caused by siloed data, that are preventing companies from getting the most out of AI.
Now, though, Ellison is saying that siloed national data is causing inefficiencies at the government level.
Oracle CTO advocates for AI-powered government systems
By making economic, healthcare and infrastructure information available centrally, Ellison envisions enhanced healthcare with personalized treatments, improved agricultural productivity with better land and crop analysis, and other AI-driven social services with fraud prevention.
Speaking with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, Ellison painted a picture of how modern systems could look: “We need to unify all the national data, put it into a database where it's easily consumable by the AI model, and then ask whatever question you like.”
However, the CTO didn’t fail to provide a brief overview of the security measures required to make this a success. Likening data centers to airports and ports, Ellison stated that data centers are only “useful” if they’re located within the nation in question’s borders:
“Data centers, because of the privacy requirements around the data, need to be in our countries or they’re not terribly useful… they also need to be secure.”
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Ellison confirmed that Oracle would be prepared to build a large, central system to help governments get on board with his grand intentions.
Speaking about the company’s more recent quarterly earnings back in December, Oracle CEO Safra Catz thanked “record level AI demand” for the 52% revenue increase seen by Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI).
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If governments want AI to improve services and security for their citizens, then they need to put all their information in one place – even citizens’ genomic data – according to Larry Ellison, the Oracle database tycoon.
Ellison shared his take on what governments need to do to succeed with AI during a discussion with his buddy former UK prime minister Tony Blair at the World Governments Summit in Dubai today.
The world's fourth-most-richest man – a good friend also of the world's richest man Elon Musk – insisted artificial intelligence is soon going to change everyone's lives "across the board."
I have to tell [the] AI model as much about my country as I can. We need to unify all the national data, put it into a database where it's easily consumable by the AI model, and then ask whatever question you like," Ellison said. "That's the missing link."
He believes the payoff will include better healthcare, thanks to treatments tailored to individuals, and the ability for governments to lift food production by better predicting crop yields. Analyzing land so that farmers can be advised where to apply fertilizers or increase irrigation was another scenario Ellison floated.
"As long as countries will put their data - all of it - in a single place we can use AI to help manage the care of all of the patients and the population at large," Ellison said, adding his belief that AI can handle other social services and eliminate fraud.
Of course, such a vast database system could also be the precursor to pervasive surveillance – an idea Ellison last year said he feels is desirable and would like Oracle to help facilitate.
Constant real-time surveillance of populations, analyzed by Oracle-powered machine-learning products, would keep everyone "on their best behavior," Ellison said at an Oracle financial analyst conference in September 2024. We're reminded of the NSA, PRISM, Snowden et cetera.
Oracle CTO Larry Ellison wants to put a whole nation’s data into one big bank
With it, we could get better healthcare, social services and more, he says
Ellison claims he is ready to help the world’s governments get onboard
Oracle CTO Larry Ellison has said governments should centralize all their data, including citizen’s health data, to enhance services and security.
We’ve already been presented with countless studies touching on poor data foundations, often caused by siloed data, that are preventing companies from getting the most out of AI.
Now, though, Ellison is saying that siloed national data is causing inefficiencies at the government level.
Oracle CTO advocates for AI-powered government systems
By making economic, healthcare and infrastructure information available centrally, Ellison envisions enhanced healthcare with personalized treatments, improved agricultural productivity with better land and crop analysis, and other AI-driven social services with fraud prevention.
Speaking with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, Ellison painted a picture of how modern systems could look: “We need to unify all the national data, put it into a database where it's easily consumable by the AI model, and then ask whatever question you like.”
However, the CTO didn’t fail to provide a brief overview of the security measures required to make this a success. Likening data centers to airports and ports, Ellison stated that data centers are only “useful” if they’re located within the nation in question’s borders:
“Data centers, because of the privacy requirements around the data, need to be in our countries or they’re not terribly useful… they also need to be secure.”
Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
Ellison confirmed that Oracle would be prepared to build a large, central system to help governments get on board with his grand intentions.
Speaking about the company’s more recent quarterly earnings back in December, Oracle CEO Safra Catz thanked “record level AI demand” for the 52% revenue increase seen by Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI).
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In conclusion, Larry Ellison's proposal for national data consolidation has the potential to enhance AI-driven services and security for governments worldwide. However, it also raises significant privacy and security concerns that must be addressed to ensure the responsible use of AI. As governments consider implementing this strategy, they must weigh the benefits against the risks and establish robust data governance frameworks to protect individual rights.