Google's $10M Bid for Spirit Airlines' Data to Train AI Draws Fire From 120+ Lawmakers
Google won the asset-liquidation auction of defunct Spirit Airlines and plans to buy its internal data for $10 million to train AI, Reuters reports — data that includes 100 million emails and 500 million employee Teams messages.
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What happened
Reuters reported on October 8 that Google won the bankruptcy auction of Spirit Airlines, which stopped flying in May, with a $10 million bid for its internal data to train AI. The data includes employee records such as 100 million emails and 500 million Teams messages; personal information on about 97 million passengers has been excluded. Mercor had bid $7.5 million.
More than 120 members of Congress, led by Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Steven Horsford, wrote to Google asking that employee information be excluded as far as possible. The privacy ombudsman in the bankruptcy case has recommended that the judge approve the deal after an October 14 hearing.
Key facts
- Price: $10 million (Mercor bid $7.5 million)
- Data: 100 million emails, 500 million Teams messages and other employee records
- Excluded: personal information on about 97 million passengers
- Next: bankruptcy court hearing on October 14
Why it matters
The assets are the internal data of a defunct airline — including 100 million emails and 500 million employee Teams messages — to be used for AI training; more than 120 lawmakers have jointly opposed the deal.
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