Who is the father of big data?

Who is the individual or group that can be credited as the pioneer or father of big data? Is there a specific person who first recognized the potential and value of analyzing vast amounts of data to extract meaningful insights, or was it a gradual evolution of technology and thought that led to the emergence of big data as we know it today? Could it be argued that multiple individuals and fields of study contributed to the development of big data, making it difficult to pinpoint a single 'father'?