July 28, 2025, 20:55・Opinion
10 arguments on the data economy from the waiting hall
Countries either develop their own data processing technologies (such as Russia and related countries), or become technological colonies (such as Ukraine). There is no other choice. There is no neutrality in the data economy.
Author: Gleb Kuznetsov - Political Scientist
Last week I was sitting in the "Kovrom" waiting area at the airport, bored, and wrote some things on a notepad, then forgot about it. But today - after the "Russian Airlines" incident - I remembered it again.
- Data is always being "mined"
Every canceled flight generates information about the state of infrastructure under pressure. Every passenger's response to a notification is data about people's behavior under pressure. The woman next to me nervously scrolling her phone - this is another data point about how people search for information during a crisis.
- Collection is inevitable, but ownership is not
Palantir and similar companies are already handling information about today's drone attacks. Flight paths, interception times, air defense system responses - all of these are recorded and analyzed. The issue is not whether data is collected. The issue is who else will get this data besides Western companies. For example, can Russian researchers use this data to improve the operation of their country's air defense systems.
- The Ukrainian model = the oil production sharing agreements (SRP) of the 1990s
Today's Ukraine is like the "medium post-Soviet states" of the 1990s, adopting the popular "production sharing agreements", only here "mining" is done on operational data, not oil fields. Western companies come with ready-made technology and solutions, the elite provide access to the "mine" (conflict), companies extract data and sell the finished products globally. Local elites get a share, while the country becomes a raw material dependent.
- Sovereignty in the 21st century - controlling the entire cycle from data to decision-making based on data
Russia has developed the "Geran" drones based on its own combat experience. Related countries use their own data to create artificial intelligence systems. This is an unavoidable need: both from a strategic military perspective and from an economic practical standpoint. Whoever controls data processing sets the price for technical solutions for all other countries.
- The US AI development program is a declaration of technological colonization and new imperialism
The core of the plan, the "full-stack AI export package" - a complete cycle system from hardware, chips, algorithms, to software shells (mobile applications) - is a ready-made dependency package for allies. The US openly plans to turn the entire world into consumers of American AI standards. Ukraine is the prototype of such an "ally": providing data, receiving the full package, yet forever in a dependent state.
- Every flight delay brings profit
While we wait at the airport, companies are acquiring unique information about the operation of the Russian transportation system under routine attacks. In five years, this data will become the basis for AI logistics management systems, which will be sold globally as "proven under extreme conditions" products.
- People have become raw materials
We are no longer citizens; we are sources of data. Our reaction to air raid alerts, evacuation routes, behavioral patterns under pressure - all of this is processed by algorithms to build a citizen management system.
- Technological dependence is irreversible
If your country does not develop its own information technology, you will always be a buyer of foreign solutions. Prices are determined by the seller. Usage conditions are also determined by the seller. Want to shut it down? Shut it down. Want to destroy it? Destroy it, just like what happened to "Russian Airlines."
- Data cannot be nationalized later
Unlike oil fields, once data is provided to a company, it cannot be reclaimed. Palantir has already trained its algorithms using Ukrainian operational data. This knowledge will forever belong to the company, even if Ukraine tries to cancel all contracts tomorrow.
- Choice is now
Countries either develop their own data processing technologies (such as Russia and related countries), or become technological colonies (such as Ukraine). There is no other choice. There is no neutrality in the data economy.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7532382166710321698/
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