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Larry Ellison, co-founder and chairman of Oracle, wants the U.S. to upload all national data — including highly sensitive personal information, such as genomic data — into an Oracle AI model for study. The world’s fourth richest man shared his thoughts via a video call with former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair on February 12 during the World Government Summit in Dubai.
Ellison says uploading national data is the “missing link”
In Ellison’s opinion, the U.S. won’t be able to take full advantage of artificial intelligence until all national data is uploaded into an AI model. He recommended consolidating fragmented databases into one huge population data set, then feeding it into an AI model — ideally, one created by his company — so it can be analyzed for improvement suggestions and cost-cutting ideas.
“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,” he said. “That’s the missing link.”
Ellison particularly emphasized the potential for AI models to identify waste and fraud in the U.S. government. He also mentioned the so-called Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE), which is being run by fellow billionaire Elon Musk, who is also a friend of Ellison’s.
“We can provide high-quality services, save the government vast amounts of money, our populations will be healthier and the government will be spending less for better outcomes,” he said.
Critics say that making such a widespread, consolidated database could be the first step in creating a unified mass surveillance system that tracks the residents of the United States. Ellison expressed his support for such a surveillance system in September 2024, saying it would keep people “on their best behavior” on a call with Oracle financial analysts.
Oracle doubles down on AI technology
Ellison’s remarks came amidst Oracle’s huge and public push for artificial intelligence. Oracle is one of the founding partners of the Stargate initiative, alongside OpenAI, SoftBank, and MGX. The Stargate project aims to invest a total of $500 billion in U.S. AI infrastructure over the coming years. President Trump announced the project the day after assuming office.
While Oracle may not be the first AI company that people think of, the corporation is working to position itself as the go-to option for underlying infrastructure and networking architecture, primarily databases that can be used to underpin AI models. Ellison’s recent comments also indicate that the company hopes to become the foundation of any U.S. national AI models as well.