Google Pays $10M for Spirit Airlines Data to Train AI

The notable element is the asset class: internal communications and business records, not customer data or a product line, monetized by a company in bankruptcy proceedings where such sales are typically aimed at recovering creditor value. That a bankrupt carrier's operational archive carries seven-figure value to an AI developer signals how broadly the definition of training data is expanding beyond web text. Whether other distressed firms pursue similar sales — and how courts and privacy regimes treat employee communications as saleable training material — is the open question.