What is human data?
The short answer
Human data is data people produce on request to train and test AI models, like expert answers, grading and rankings. AI labs buy it from vendors that recruit contractors. Deedy Das estimated that 50+ companies sell data and RL environments, with total revenue near $8.5B.
What does human data include?
Anything a person is paid to produce for a model. Experts write ideal answers, compare two model outputs, grade a long task or record themselves doing work. Vendors recruit and manage the contractors and sell the results to labs.
micro1's human data page lists expert data and evaluation environments built with domain specialists across 100+ fields, along with services for recruiting, performance tracking and robotics demonstrations (micro1, self-reported).
How big is the market?
Estimates are rough. Deedy Das posted that more than 50 companies sell AI training data and RL environments, that together they bring in about $8.5B and that Scale, Surge, Mercor and Handshake make up over 75% of it (X). It is one person's estimate.
TechCrunch reported that micro1 reached a $500M gross annual run rate, per a person familiar with the company, with net near $150M to $200M. Gross figures count revenue before contractor payouts.
How is human data different from company data?
Human data is made to order. A vendor recruits people, sets the task and pays them for their time.
Company data is a by-product. Your tickets, emails and spreadsheets exist because you ran a business.
micro1 works on both, with a human data business and a separate company data program. Its CFO said in an undated recorded forum talk that the real world is the ideal training environment (self-reported). Our RL environment entry explains where records get used.
Where does a company's own data fit?
Your stored records sit in the company-data lane. Nobody made them to order, so the first questions are about rights and consent. Run the rights check or the free fit check.
micro1 may pay us a referral fee if a company we introduce goes ahead with it. How we are paid
Talk to a privacy or commercial lawyer in your state before you sign.
Apply to micro1's data partnership (paid link)micro1's own data-partnerships pagePaid link. How we are paid
Vaultfish helps you run the process. We are not lawyers and this is not legal advice. If you need counsel who knows this area, we can point you to one. Ask for a referral
