Guides for sellers
Everything we have learned about licensing company data to AI buyers, written for the owner, operator or lawyer who has to decide.
Free PDF, 2026 edition
The 2026 Seller’s Guide to Licensing Company Data to AI
Published program figures, scope and rights checks, buyer comparisons and the questions to resolve before signing. Sources and fictional examples clearly identified.
7 min read
How much is your company’s data worth to AI labs?
Published program figures describe opportunities, not a price for your archive. The useful comparison is an offer for a defined set of records and rights, after exclusions and preparation costs. Start with the sources below, then ask what a buyer would actually accept.
9 min read
Is it legal to sell your company’s data for AI training?
A company can explore a license only after establishing the rights and conditions for the proposed use. Ownership, contracts, tool terms, privacy obligations and approval authority are separate checks. Removing names or obtaining an officer’s signature does not settle them all.
5 min read
Should you use a broker or go direct to an AI data buyer?
Go direct if your team can research programs, manage scoping and evaluate the contract. An advisor can help organize those steps and seek alternatives. Compare its actual services, fees, conflicts and access to buyers; neither route guarantees an offer.
6 min read
How AI data licensing deals work, step by step
A potential deal moves through scope review, an offer, a license, preparation, acceptance and payment. The order and timing depend on the buyer and the records. Agree on responsibilities and acceptance deadlines before estimating when money might arrive.
6 min read
Can you sell a shut-down startup’s Slack and email?
A closed company may have records worth assessing, but access to an archive does not establish the right to license it. First confirm ownership, retention duties and signing authority. micro1 and SimpleClosure publish routes relevant to closed companies; acceptance and proceeds depend on the actual rights and records.
6 min read
Is it safe to give an AI data buyer access to your Slack and email?
Assess the actual access requested, the preparation process and the consequences if records are exposed or reused beyond the agreed purpose. A scoped export can reduce access, but security controls and contractual promises do not eliminate every risk.
Seller decision guide
Can you license incident resolution history for AI?
Assess incident tickets, timelines and postmortems for AI licensing. Preserve diagnosis and outcomes while excluding credentials and client secrets.
Seller decision guide
Can supplier onboarding workflows qualify for data licensing?
Map supplier requests, review steps and approvals into a scoped data package. Separate workflow reasoning from bank details and confidential vendor files.
Seller decision guide
Can you license company data after an acquisition?
Before licensing acquired archives, map ownership, inherited restrictions, system boundaries and who can authorize a new use of the data.
Seller decision guide
What should you preserve before migrating a business system?
Preserve permitted history and relationships before migrating business systems. Check export completeness, retention rules and ownership first.
Seller decision guide
Can a small business qualify for an AI data license?
Assess a small company’s operational history, ownership and preparation effort. Buyer fit depends on more than headcount or an archive size.
Seller decision guide
What makes a long company data history useful?
Assess long business archives by continuity, process changes and usable context. Separate historical depth from duplicate or restricted records.
Seller decision guide
How should a CFO evaluate a company data license?
Compare data-license offers by scope, payment conditions, preparation costs and future obligations. A practical CFO diligence checklist.
Seller decision guide
What should IT verify before a data-licensing export?
Scope an operational-data export, validate permissions and preserve context. A practical handover checklist for IT administrators.
Seller decision guide
Should your data license be exclusive or non-exclusive?
Compare exclusivity by dataset, use, buyer, geography and duration. Understand the questions to resolve before agreeing to an AI data license.
Seller decision guide
How do upfront and recurring data payments differ?
Compare fixed fees, acceptance-based payments and recurring arrangements. Identify payment triggers, refresh obligations and contingent revenue.
Seller decision guide
How do you exclude client data from a licensing scope?
Separate company-owned operations from client files, shared channels and confidential attachments before evaluating a data license.
Seller decision guide
Can you evaluate a data license without live system access?
Compare scoped exports with live connectors for AI data evaluation. Review permissions, delivery boundaries and access removal before sharing.
Seller decision guide
What belongs in a company data inventory for licensing?
Inventory systems, ownership, usable history and exclusions before approaching AI data buyers. Includes a practical dataset assessment table.
Seller decision guide
How should you prepare a sample for a data buyer?
Design a small, representative and permitted sample for a data-licensing review. Define purpose, exclusions, limitations and handling first.
Seller decision guide
What company data can help evaluate AI support agents?
Assess support records as linked problems, decisions and outcomes. Distinguish agent training, evaluation and permission to reuse customer data.
Seller decision guide
Can business workflows become AI agent evaluation tasks?
Assess workflow records as evaluation tasks with initial context, permitted actions and observable outcomes. Keep evaluation and training rights distinct.
Explore what your company’s data could be worth.
Describe your systems and history to see a planning estimate. Request a buyer-fit assessment when you are ready. Free for your company, with no obligation.
