AI Data Brokers Buy Corporate Slack, Email Records as Training Data
Business Insider reports brokers are acquiring internal work records from operating companies, with some offers worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and 48-hour deadlines.
AI data brokers are purchasing companies' internal work records — including Slack conversations, emails, customer management records, presentation materials and source code — to use as training data for AI agents, according to Business Insider on October 13, 2026.
Some companies received offers worth hundreds of thousands of dollars that required a decision on acceptance within 48 hours, Business Insider reported.
The practice has drawn scrutiny over employee consent. Meta attempted to use employees' keystrokes and mouse movements for AI training but halted the project after it emerged that de-identified data contained private conversations and performance review records. Google's plan to purchase past data from Spirit Airlines has been delayed due to concerns about the use of employee personal information.
Ifeoma Ajunwa, a law professor at Emory University, said it is ethically unclear whether employees' consent to data collection extends to allowing external sales.
Market Forecasts
Gartner forecast that global spending on data for AI will rise from $826 million in 2025 to $6.48 billion by 2027. AI training company Micro1 plans to spend $1 billion over the next 12 months on acquiring corporate data.
Quick answers
What kind of data are AI data brokers buying?
Slack conversations, emails, customer management records, presentation materials and source code, according to Business Insider.
How much are companies being offered for their internal records?
Some received offers worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, with a 48-hour deadline to decide, Business Insider reported.
Has any company halted a project over employee data concerns?
Meta halted a project using employees' keystrokes and mouse movements after de-identified data was found to contain private conversations and performance review records. Google's plan to buy past data from Spirit Airlines was delayed over concerns about employee personal information.