# AI Companies Really, Really Want to Buy Your Work Files and Emails

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/ai-companies-really-really-want-to-buy-your-work-files-and-emails/
- Published: 2026-11-06T16:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T16:40:38+00:00
- Original publisher: Wired
- Original article: https://www.wired.com/story/ai-companies-really-really-want-to-buy-your-work-files-and-emails/
- Topics: AI, Technology

## Key points

- AI firms are buying private work data to improve models.
- Brokers say the market may grow rapidly.
- Privacy and consent remain key concerns.

## Summary

AI companies are increasingly paying for private work files, emails and other business records to train and evaluate models, creating a fast-growing market that has received less attention than spending on data centres. The trade matters because real workplace material can capture the complexity of day-to-day tasks, while raising questions about consent, privacy and how companies’ information is used.

Data brokers including Handshake, Micro1 and Mercor say they buy or license material such as professional documents, student coursework and company workflows. One writer was offered $1,000 for a story, while a separate pitch suggested a deal worth up to $2 million; Micro1’s CEO estimated current data spending at $40 billion to $50 billion annually, a figure the article says it could not verify. Brokers say they remove identifying details, but AI firms gave limited confirmation of their purchasing practices, and forecasts of spending exceeding $1 trillion a year within two to four years remain industry claims.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.