AI labs are fueling a wild market for your Slack DMs
AI labs are offering companies big money for internal data like employee emails and Slack DMs, raising major cybersecurity and privacy concerns.
AI labs are driving a surge in the market for your Slack DMs, according to Business Insider. Companies are receiving offers worth six figures that expire within 48 hours to sell their data. Instagram is flooded with ads encouraging the sharing of data for AI, promising lucrative returns. Companies are now harvesting employee data for AI training, with tech giants paying brokers for live data from active companies.
Demand is astronomical, with Gartner projecting that annual spending on data for AI will explode from less than $1 billion last year to nearly $6.5 billion in 2027. This boom has a darker side, as employees often remain unaware of their Slacks, PowerPoints, and Google Docs being sold to the highest bidder. The lack of federal privacy laws leaves few legal barriers, raising ethical concerns.
Data brokers actively seek out small businesses with valuable information and resell it to AI giants. Some CEOs are blindsided by the rapid developments, with one airline owner being contacted by Google in a 48-hour window to sell his company's data. While some see value in this process, others argue it raises ethical questions about consent and compensation.
Written by urgent.news from Business Insider's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
