OpenAI and the training data company Handshake AI are reportedly requesting that their third-party contractors upload real work completed during past and current jobs, according to a report by Wired. The request appears to be part of a broader strategy among AI companies to obtain high-quality training data, with the goal of enabling their models to automate more white-collar tasks.

According to the report, OpenAI's presentation materials instruct contractors to detail tasks performed at previous jobs and to upload examples of actual work outputs, such as Word documents, PDFs, PowerPoint presentations, Excel files, images, and code repositories. The company reportedly advises contractors to remove proprietary and personally identifiable information before uploading these files, directing them to a "ChatGPT Superstar Scrubbing tool" for this purpose.

The practice raises concerns about intellectual property rights. Evan Brown, an intellectual property lawyer, told Wired that this approach poses significant risks for AI labs, as it relies heavily on the trustworthiness of contractors to properly scrub sensitive data.

The push for real-world data reflects the growing demand for high-quality training datasets to improve the performance and capabilities of AI models. These models, particularly large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI's GPT series, require vast amounts of data to learn and generalize effectively. By training on authentic work samples, AI developers hope to create models that can more accurately replicate and automate complex tasks.

However, the strategy also raises ethical and legal questions. The use of copyrighted or confidential information, even if anonymized, could lead to potential lawsuits and damage to a company's reputation. There are also concerns about the potential for bias in the data, which could perpetuate discriminatory outcomes if not carefully addressed.

The long-term implications of this data collection strategy are significant. If AI models can successfully automate a wider range of white-collar jobs, it could lead to substantial changes in the labor market, potentially displacing workers in various industries. The extent of this impact remains uncertain, but experts are closely monitoring the developments in AI and their potential consequences for society.

OpenAI has not yet released an official statement regarding the report. The company's actions are likely to be scrutinized by regulators and industry observers as the debate over AI ethics and data privacy continues to evolve.