SpaceX may start buying data from closed startups to train Grok
SpaceX may start buying data from startups that have closed or are in trouble to train Grok and other AI models, including customer information and internal operational data.
SpaceX may start buying data from startups that have closed or are in trouble to train Grok and other AI models, including customer information and internal operational data.
Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the situation, that the idea is being discussed within SpaceXAI, the AI division of SpaceX that includes xAI. However, for now, these are only informal discussions that may not lead to concrete agreements.
SpaceXAI sees data from troubled and defunct startups as a relatively cheap way to get quality material for training models. The company is most interested in real-world data about businesses and their customers. It believes this can help AI better understand workflows.
Previously, SpaceXAI largely used data from the X social network and the work of internal specialists - AI trainers who help models master specific areas such as finance, science or programming. Now, this can be supplemented by corporate archives of third-party companies.
The market for such data already exists. Previously, dev.ua wrote that closed companies began selling employee correspondence, tasks, documents, and other internal materials for AI training. For example, the startup SimpleClosure, which helps companies close, made about 100 such sales in a year, and the typical cost of one data set was from $10,000 to $100,000.
But large corporate archives can be worth a lot more. In August, for example, Google offered $10 million for data from bankrupt Spirit Airlines. However, Spirit Airlines employees opposed the sale, fearing that even after names and other direct identifiers were removed, information about specific people could still be recovered from the archive.
For SpaceXAI, privacy could also be a separate challenge, especially if the company wants to buy customer data from European startups. European rules require there to be a legitimate basis for any new use of personal data, and the re-use must be consistent with the purpose for which the information was originally collected.
"He will inherit your thoughts and ideas": Elon Musk said that Grok will be trained on data from SpaceX employees
"He will inherit your thoughts and ideas": Elon Musk said that Grok will be trained on data from SpaceX employees
Musk promised xAI employees $420 each for uploading their tax returns to Grok. Spoiler: they never received the money
Musk promised xAI employees $420 each for uploading their tax returns to Grok. Spoiler: they never received the money
Read the country's main IT news in our Telegram
Read the country's main IT news in our Telegram
