Meta pauses AI training work with Mercor after data breach

Mercor is one of the few companies that OpenAI, Anthropic, and other AI labs rely on for generating training data. The firm employs a vast network of human contractors to create custom, proprietary datasets for these labs. These datasets are usually kept under wraps as they play a crucial role in developing valuable AI models that power products like ChatGPT and Claude Code.

The data generated by Mercor is highly sensitive as it can give competitors, including other US and Chinese AI labs, insights into their training methods. However, it remains unclear if the information leaked in Mercor's breach would significantly benefit a competitor. OpenAI is currently investigating the incident to determine how its proprietary training data may have been compromised but has assured that the incident does not affect user data.