Google Snags Spirit Airlines' Corporate Data for $10 Million Amid Privacy Concerns

Google has acquired Spirit Airlines' corporate data for $10 million as part of an auction process. The dataset includes internal wikis, emails, source code, and spreadsheets that can be used to train artificial intelligence. This is just one example of a growing trend where companies are buying and selling operational records from both shuttered and still-operating businesses to develop more effective AI systems.

AI training providers like Micro1 operate programs called Data Partnerships to acquire corporate records, which they use to build realistic simulated work environments for reinforcement learning. These simulations help hone an AI's ability to handle particular tasks and test its prowess. Micro1 pays a $50,000 finder's fee to anyone who successfully refers a new data partner.

However, privacy advocates caution that even anonymized data can often be linked to particular people through means ranging from the context of communications to particular speech patterns. The Spirit flight attendant union has formally objected to the Google sale unless more steps are taken to protect employee privacy.