AI training data buyers fall into three groups: general programs such as micro1, Handshake AI, Mercor and Labelbox Prism that buy many kinds of company records; specialists that buy one type, such as imaging, driving video or screen recordings; and AI labs that buy directly in rare large deals. Published company ranges run from about $10K for small R&D archives to $1.5M for manufacturing records, with headline ceilings of $3M to $4M, and the largest public deal is Google's $10M winning bid for Spirit Airlines' records, not yet approved by the court as of November 6, 2026. The catch: most figures are ranges or ceilings set by the buyers themselves, and records with personal data, client confidences or protected health information must be cleared or removed first.
- Linked operating records from regulated, physical and engineering work carry the highest published ranges: manufacturing up to $1.5M, CAD up to $1.3M, law firms up to $1.2M (Mercor listings).
- Video, dashcam and screen recordings are bought by the hour or in bulk; published rates are much lower per unit.
- Healthcare has the only public per-record price: $100 per de-identified record in a Tempus filing.
- Insurance claims and mortgage files have buyers but no public price yet.
- Customer-facing personal data is what buyers leave out: Google's Spirit bid excluded passenger profiles and customer chat and call recordings.
Who buys which kind of company data? The map
Each row is one kind of company data, the buyers or buyer types that publicly ask for it, the published price signals with their source, what makes it valuable, and Origin's guide to it. Mercor ranges are its published company ranges, read on its listings page on November 6, 2026 (data.mercor.com/refer). Every other figure links to its source. A range is what a buyer publishes, not what a given company will be offered. See what your data is worth for a figure based on your own records.
| Data type | Who buys | Published price signals (source) | What makes it valuable | Origin guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chat, email and documents | micro1, Handshake AI, Mercor, Labelbox Prism, Polyshares; Google and Mercor bid in a bankruptcy auction | Google's $10M winning bid for Spirit Airlines' data, including about 100M emails and 500M Teams chats, not yet approved by the court as of November 6, 2026 (Axios); micro1 $100K to $3M+ per approved package (micro1); Handshake AI $100K to $4M+ (Handshake) | Shows how real work and decisions happen across a company, years deep | Slack and email archives |
| Support tickets | micro1, Labelbox Prism, Endless, Polyshares | No ticket-only price published. micro1 lists support tickets in its $100K to $3M+ track (micro1); Prism connects to Zendesk and ServiceNow, with targeted datasets from around $50K to $1M+ (Prism) | A problem, the steps taken and the outcome in one thread | Support tickets |
| Source code | Mercor, SimpleClosure buyers (foundation labs, workspace-simulation vendors) | Mercor $50K to $500K for private code, 15 to 500 staff; a closed crypto startup netted about $25,000 for its code base (MIT Technology Review) | Private code with its review and change history | Source code |
| Call recordings | Mercor (call centers and BPOs) | Mercor $20K to $250K for 50 to 5,000 agents. Google's Spirit bid left out the customer chat and call recordings, per a reading of the asset schedule (BenchmarkList) | Multilingual conversations linked to case outcomes | Call recordings |
| Field-service work orders | Endless, Handshake AI (lists ServiceTitan as a source), Polyshares | Endless "up to $4M" ceiling for quotes, tickets and work orders, as a fixed, non-exclusive payment (Endless) | Job, diagnosis, parts and fix tied together | Field-service records |
| Manufacturing records | Mercor, micro1, Polyshares | Mercor $100K to $1.5M for production, maintenance and inspection records, 20 to 2,000 staff; Mercor names work orders, QA logs and spec sheets (Mercor) | Process steps linked to measured quality and failures | Manufacturers |
| Shop-floor and first-person video | Robotics data programs that pay businesses: Shift, Amelia and others | Shift up to $20 per hour of accepted footage (Shift); Amelia $500 to $2,000 a month per recording employee (Amelia) | Skilled hands-on work that cannot be filmed from outside | Business video programs compared |
| CAD with revision history | Mercor (hardware engineering), Handshake AI (lists AutoCAD) | Mercor $45K to $1.3M for CAD assemblies, circuit designs and test results, 20 to 2,000 staff | Native design history and engineering changes, rarely public | CAD and engineering data |
| Construction project records | Mercor; Polyshares (lists construction) | Mercor $115K to $1M for project records, drawings and site imagery from completed projects, 50 to 2,000 staff | Each job ends with a checkable cost and outcome | Construction companies |
| Law firm work product | Mercor; AI-native law firms | Mercor $50K to $1.2M for complete files from closed matters and deals; two AI-native law firms bid for Weil Gotshal's data (Law.com) | Templates, playbooks and redlines that show legal judgment | Law firm data ethics |
| Accounting workpapers | Mercor; Endless (excludes client books) | Mercor $25K to $865K for tax returns, workpapers and bookkeeping records, 5 to 200 staff. Client confidentiality limits what can go (Journal of Accountancy) | Repeatable judgment work across many kinds of entity | Accounting firms |
| Mortgage and loan files | Mercor (finance: underwriting files, credit files), Polyshares (financial services) | No mortgage-specific price published. Nearest Mercor ranges: investment firms (closed deals, credit files) $50K to $800K; payments and fintech $80K to $900K | Underwriting decisions with conditions and outcomes | Mortgage lenders |
| Insurance claims | Mercor (lists underwriting files and claims) (Mercor); Endless (agency workflows incl. claims assistance) | No public price found | Claim, adjuster notes, reserve and payout in one file | Insurance claims data |
| Healthcare records and imaging | Segmed, Gradient Health, Dandelion, OneMedNet, Protege, Mercor | $100 per de-identified neurology record paid to Tempus (8-K); Mercor $80K to $820K (practices) and $80K to $620K (imaging centers); Gradient example: $240K partner share of a $3M deal (Gradient) | Longitudinal, multimodal records with signed reports | Health data programs compared |
| Aviation maintenance records | Google, Mercor (Spirit auction bidders) | Spirit's $10M winning bid covered MRO records from TRAX, listed at 459,828 scheduled tasks and 787,452 parts received, per a transcription of the filed asset schedule (BenchmarkList); Mercor bid $7.5M (Axios); the sale hearing moved to November 17, 2026 | Decades of fault-to-fix records under strict rules | Aircraft maintenance records |
| Fleet dashcam video | World-model and autonomous-driving labs | A six-figure agreement for 3,000 hours of driving data to a world-model lab (NATIX) | Varied real roads, weather and driver behavior | Dashcam footage |
| Desk-work screen recordings | Frontier labs building computer-use agents | Markov says it has sold 15,000+ hours to frontier AI labs; no price published (Y Combinator) | Screen, mouse and keyboard actions from expert software work | Screen recordings |
| R&D lab records | Mercor (biotech, semiconductor, chemistry and materials) | Mercor $50K to $875K (biotech labs), $100K to $750K (semiconductor and materials), $10K to $300K (chemistry and materials R&D records) | Failed experiments and run records that never get published | R&D experiment records |
| Aerial, LiDAR and 3D | Simulation and digital-twin companies (Zeromatter, Neara) | Two off-the-shelf licences worth a combined $1.1M to Aerometrex, an ASX-listed survey firm (Grafa) | Calibrated, dated archives that are costly to re-fly | Aerial and LiDAR data |
Source: Mercor Data: Refer a company (25 listings with company ranges)
Which companies buy data for AI training across many data types?
Most company data is bought by a handful of programs that take many record types and resell or license them to AI labs. Their published terms differ more than their headlines.
- For a deeper side-by-side of these programs, see company data buyers compared and the buyer program study.
| Program | What it says it buys | Published amount | Key terms | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| micro1 | Internal communications, SOPs, project histories, CRM records, support tickets | $100K to $3M+ per approved data package; 30+ employees | Enterprise and defunct-company tracks | micro1 |
| Handshake AI | Sources such as AutoCAD, Gmail, NetSuite, QuickBooks, ServiceTitan and Slack | $100K to $4M+ payouts; 20+ full-time employees and 3+ years | Its calculator says estimates are indicative and not an offer | Handshake AI |
| Mercor | Contracts, clinical notes, claims, work orders, shipping manifests and more | 25 listings from $10K to $1.5M by industry | Pays by wire on delivery to the buyer, typically within 2 to 4 weeks of signing | Mercor |
| Labelbox Prism | Salesforce, Jira, SAP, ServiceNow, Slack, Zendesk, GitHub data | From around $50K for targeted datasets to $1M+ | Exclusive by default; upfront fee plus a revenue share | Prism |
| Polyshares | Operational data from any sector | $100K to $2M and above | Says it buys directly; net 30 to 60 after approval | Polyshares |
| Endless | Quotes, tickets, work orders, SOPs, handover notes | Up to $4M | Fixed sum agreed upfront; non-exclusive; pools many companies | Endless |
Source: micro1: data partnership tracks and company compensation
What data is most valuable for AI?
Published ranges point the same way: records that tie a decision to its outcome, from industries AI cannot see from the public web. Manufacturing ($100K to $1.5M), hardware engineering ($45K to $1.3M), law ($50K to $1.2M) and construction ($115K to $1M) carry Mercor's highest ceilings. Call-center recordings ($20K to $250K) and private code ($50K to $500K) sit lower.
Buyers say depth beats volume. Polyshares says depth of operating history and how much reasoning the record shows move the number far more than raw volume (Polyshares). Labelbox Prism lists human decisions, escalation paths, expert corrections and edge cases as the highest-value data (Prism). Surge AI told MIT Technology Review that one company's Slack history, if it captures varied, deep conversations, can be worth more than another's Slack, email and calendars combined (MIT Technology Review).
Video and screen recordings are valuable in bulk, but each hour is cheap. They work best as an addition to a records licence, not instead of one.
How much do AI companies pay for data? Public deals and prices
Few deals are public. These are the ones with a stated amount, as reported or filed.
- More deals, updated as they are reported: AI data licensing deals tracker.
| Deal | Data | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google wins Spirit Airlines' bankruptcy auction | About 100M emails and 500M Teams chats plus documents, financial databases and operating records, de-identified | $10M winning bid; Mercor next at $7.5M; not approved as of November 6, 2026; the debtors moved the sale hearing to November 17, 2026 | Axios; Chapter 11 Cases; Dkt. 1779 |
| Tempus licenses neurology records to Pathos | Up to 500,000 de-identified patient records | $100 per delivered record; related-party deal | SEC EDGAR |
| Aerometrex licences 3D and LiDAR data | Off-the-shelf survey datasets to Zeromatter and Neara | $1.1M combined | Grafa |
| NATIX sells driving footage | 3,000 hours to a world-model lab | Six figures | NATIX |
| OneMedNet supplies a foundation model company | Millions of de-identified clinical records | $11.5M+ initial contract value | OneMedNet |
| A closed crypto startup sells its code | Code base, via SimpleClosure | About $25,000 | MIT Technology Review |
Source: Axios: Google wins bankruptcy auction for Spirit Airlines data (Aug 2026)
What data do AI companies not buy?
Buyers want the work, not the people in it. In the Spirit auction, Google bid for operational data but declined everything customer-facing, including customer profiles, loyalty data, surveys, and customer chat and call recordings, according to a reading of the filed asset schedule (BenchmarkList). Google said any data it receives is scrubbed of personal information by a third party first (Axios).
Programs set the same limits. Endless says it never licenses customer, employee or client personal data, protected health information, privileged client matter content, client books or proprietary pricing logic (Endless). For accounting firms, the Journal of Accountancy warns that client confidentiality obligations "do not disappear because the data is redacted" (Journal of Accountancy). In healthcare, identifiable patient data cannot be sold without authorization.
See what company data you can sell to AI and how to de-identify company data.
Are these prices real? How to read published ranges
Most figures here are set by the buyers: ranges, ceilings and "up to" rates. Handshake AI says its estimate "is an indicative estimate only and is not an offer to purchase your data" (Handshake AI). Shift says its advertised rates are potential maximum earnings and are not guaranteed (Shift).
Terms matter as much as the number. Labelbox Prism licenses are exclusive by default, while Endless licenses are non-exclusive. Mercor pays on delivery to the buyer, micro1 within 30 days of invoicing after a review of up to 30 days, Polyshares net 30 to 60. Compare like with like before choosing.
Read exclusive vs non-exclusive licenses and data licensing pricing models before you sign.
How to use this map for your company
Find the rows that match what your company holds, then write down the systems, years of history and approximate volume for each. That short list is enough for a first conversation with any buyer, and it shows which programs fit. If your company is not a single type, the most valuable package is usually the linked set: records plus the video, photos or recordings of the same work.
Origin Data Partners is an independent data partner that helps companies get their data bought. We map your records against the buyers above and compare offers on price, exclusivity and payment terms. See what your data is worth.
Origin Data Partners works with companies that own data and helps get it bought. We are independent of the services on this page, and a buyer may pay us when a deal closes (how Origin is paid). See what your data is worth.
Common questions
Who buys company data for AI training?
Three groups: general programs such as micro1, Handshake AI, Mercor, Labelbox Prism and Polyshares that buy many record types; specialists that buy one type, such as Segmed and Gradient Health for medical imaging or world-model labs for driving video; and AI labs that occasionally buy directly, as Google did with its $10M winning bid for Spirit Airlines' records, not yet approved by the court as of November 6, 2026.
What data do AI companies buy?
Operational records that show how work gets done: chat, email and documents, support tickets, source code, call recordings, work orders, manufacturing and construction records, CAD files, legal and accounting work product, de-identified health records, and video or screen recordings of skilled work. They generally leave out customer personal data, client confidences and identifiable health information.
Which companies buy data for AI training?
Companies that publish terms include micro1 ($100K to $3M+ per approved package), Handshake AI ($100K to $4M+), Mercor (25 industry listings from $10K to $1.5M), Labelbox Prism (from about $50K to $1M+), Polyshares ($100K to $2M+) and Endless (up to $4M). Health data goes to Segmed, Gradient Health, Dandelion Health, OneMedNet and Protege on a revenue share.
What data is most valuable for AI?
Records that link a decision to its outcome in industries AI cannot see from the public web. Mercor's highest published ranges are for manufacturing ($100K to $1.5M), hardware engineering and CAD ($45K to $1.3M), law firms ($50K to $1.2M) and construction ($115K to $1M). Buyers say depth of history and visible reasoning matter more than volume.
How much do AI companies pay for training data?
Published company ranges run from about $10K to $1.5M, with headline ceilings of $3M+ to $4M+. Public deals include Google's $10M winning bid for Spirit Airlines' records (not yet approved by the court as of November 6, 2026; hearing moved to November 17), $100 per de-identified patient record in a Tempus filing, and a six-figure order for 3,000 hours of driving video. Business video programs mostly publish "up to" rates, such as Shift's up to $20 per accepted hour.
Do AI companies buy customer data?
Mostly not in identifiable form. Google's Spirit bid excluded passenger profiles, loyalty data and customer chat and call recordings, and programs such as Endless say they never license customer, employee or client personal data. Records are de-identified before delivery, and some data, such as identifiable health records, cannot be sold without consent.
Can a small business sell data to AI companies?
Sometimes. Many programs set minimums: micro1 asks for 30+ employees and Handshake AI for 20+ full-time employees and 3+ years, while Mercor lists some firm types from 5 staff and imaging centers of any size. Video programs such as Shift and Amelia pay businesses for accepted footage of their work, with no headcount minimum stated on the pages we read.
Is there a list of AI training data buyers by industry?
Yes: the map on this page lists 19 data types with the buyers that publicly ask for each, their published price signals and sources. Mercor also publishes 25 listings by company type, each with a company range, on its referral page.
Sources and further reading
Origin Data Partners is independent and not affiliated with any buyer named on this page.
- Mercor Data: Refer a company (25 listings with company ranges)
- Mercor: Monetize your data
- micro1: data partnership tracks and company compensation
- micro1: company data partnerships
- Handshake AI: get paid for your company data
- Labelbox Prism: enterprise data licensing
- Polyshares: terms for operational data
- Endless: license operational data to AI labs
- Axios: Google wins bankruptcy auction for Spirit Airlines data (Aug 2026)
- Chapter 11 Cases: Spirit data sale hearing moves to November (Oct 2026)
- Spirit Aviation Holdings, Dkt. 1779: notice moving the data sale hearing to November 17, 2026
- BenchmarkList: what Google bought in Spirit's data auction (Aug 2026)
- MIT Technology Review: AI labs are buying data from dead startups (Oct 2026)
- Shift: hands-on business owners can earn with Shift (Jul 2026)
- Amelia Robotics: for businesses and their teams
- Law.com: law firm data is valuable, now it might come with a price tag (Nov 2026)
- Journal of Accountancy: asked to sell firm data for AI training? Be very cautious (Nov 2026)
- NATIX: 3,000 hours data sale for a world model lab (Oct 2026)
- Y Combinator: Markov, data for computer-use AI (Aug 2026)
- Grafa: Aerometrex secures $1.1M in AI data contracts (Jun 2026)
- SEC EDGAR: Tempus AI Form 8-K (Oct 23, 2026)
- Gradient Health: become a data partner
- OneMedNet: real-world clinical data network