Data-gathering brings risk, but the auto industry is ready for the challenge

‘Data is the new oil’ has proven a contentious supposition through the years, ever since the idea was reportedly first floated by British mathematician Clive Humby. In one important respect, Humby was certainly right: like oil, data must be first processed if its value is to be exploited. Beyond that, however, the idea begins to fall apart: unlike oil, data is not finite, and is far more varied in nature than the black stuff. As such, processing it is not nearly so straight-forward as refining crude oil, and unlocking its value is a far trickier proposition.