Google buys Spirit Airlines data for 10 million to train AI models
Google secured a $10 million deal to acquire a vast dataset from defunct U.S. ultra low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines, according to bankruptcy court filings and reports from Reuters and other outlets. The package includes approximately 100 million emails, 500 million Microsoft Teams conversations, software, and pricing data, all intended for training artificial intelligence models.
A bankruptcy auction finalized the sale, with Google outbidding AI firm Mercor, which offered $7.5 million. Google stated in a Bloomberg report that a third-party company would strip all personally identifiable information from the data before transfer. The dataset is expected to help “improve our products and AI models,” the company said.
Spirit Airlines, which ceased operations in early May, had been in its second bankruptcy proceeding in less than a year. The airline’s collapse followed a “sudden and sustained” spike in jet fuel prices amid the Iran war, Spirit CEO Dave Davis said in court documents. The carrier had initially aimed to emerge from bankruptcy with reduced debt but abandoned those plans as costs surged.
The acquisition aligns with a broader trend among AI companies purchasing internal communications from failed startups to simulate real-world business processes for model training. Google’s bid was confirmed in filings submitted to the bankruptcy court, with a judge set to review the sale agreement on Wednesday.
Reuters first reported the $10 million price on Monday, noting that the data would be deidentified to address privacy concerns. The deal underscores the growing market for corporate datasets, particularly from defunct firms, as tech companies seek to refine AI systems with real-world operational data.
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