This white paper aims to help build a shared research and policy agenda on the economics of data, which has gained urgency with the rise of generative and agentic AI but remains poorly understood by businesses, public bodies, policymakers and statisticians.
The purpose of this white paper is to contribute to the development of a shared agenda on the economics of data. Interest in data has increased in recent years, accelerated by the arrival of generative and now agentic AI. It is clear that data (in the form of digital records), in a fundamental sense, fuels the creation and distribution of economic value in today’s economy. Yet there remain significant gaps in understanding the economics of data, from the perspectives of businesses, public organisations, policymakers and official statisticians. This paper builds on a workshop held in Cambridge on 16 September 2026, with 40 senior participants from across multiple sectors and perspectives. The agenda that has emerged from the discussions covered the fundamental economics of data, business decision-making, market structure and public value, as well as measurement questions. This paper ends with a proposed agenda for research and policy, but this is a starting point. As it makes clear, many open questions remain.
We thank all the participants in the workshop. We are very grateful to Anmut for its support and organisation. We thank the Sloan Foundation for its support for the project on data policy at the Stanford Digital Economy Lab and Bennett School of Public Policy.
