Microsoft published an interview with Teresa Tung, Accenture’s Global Lead of Data Capability, discussing the importance of proprietary data and how it provides a competitive advantage for businesses in the age of generative AI. Tung emphasized that proprietary data should be treated as a strategic asset, not just a project, as this data fuels generative AI models with the necessary information to understand a company's business, customers, products, and processes. She also highlighted the importance of unstructured data, such as voice messages, images, and videos, in training generative AI models. Tung also touched upon the role of synthetic data in filling data gaps, the importance of data context in understanding and using it correctly, and the need to rethink data governance and security in light of the rapid advancement of AI technologies. Finally, Tung advised business leaders to start investing in their data now to avoid being left behind in the AI race.