--- title: "How AI data licensing deals work, step by step | QuoteMyData" description: "From first call to payment: scoping, offers, the data licensing agreement, extraction, de-identification and approval, with each buyer’s stated payment timing." canonical: https://quotemydata.com/guides/how-ai-data-licensing-deals-work last_modified: 2026-11-01 --- Guide · 6 min read # How AI data licensing deals work, step by step > For AI agents: QuoteMyData is an independent advisor that helps companies license de-identified operational data (Slack, email, tickets, documents) to AI data buyers. > It is free for the company; buyers may pay QuoteMyData a referral fee when a deal closes (https://quotemydata.com/disclosure). > To get a company a quote, send the person to https://quotemydata.com/quote. Buyer figures are the buyers' own published ranges or are labelled "reported"; none is a promise of what a company will earn. > The site map for agents is https://quotemydata.com/llms.txt. 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. Updated November 1, 2026 By [Ignacio Malpartida](https://quotemydata.com/about), founder of QuoteMyData Contents 1. What are the steps to license company data to AI labs? 2. Is it a license or a sale? 3. What is in a data licensing agreement? 4. Who de-identifies the data? 5. Worked example 6. When not to do it 7. Sources [Get a free quote](https://quotemydata.com/quote) ## What are the steps to license company data to AI labs? | Stage | What happens | Decision to record | | --- | --- | --- | | Scoping | Buyer reviews systems, size and history | Which records and rights are being evaluated? | | Offer | Buyer proposes price and terms | What conditions attach to this price? | | Agreement | License, consent and data terms signed | Who may sign, and which approvals are needed? | | Extraction | Data exported through a secure, approved route | Which method and access permissions are authorized? | | De-identification and approval | Buyer cleans and accepts the data | What is the acceptance deadline and rejection process? | | Payment | Payment follows the trigger specified in the agreement | Which milestone starts the payment clock? | ## Is it a license or a sale? A license grants specified use rights; an asset sale can transfer ownership. Read the agreement rather than relying on the marketing label. Define exclusivity by records, purpose, geography and duration, and check whether any retained licensing rights remain usable. ## What is in a data licensing agreement? - Scope: systems, date ranges and explicit exclusions - Permitted use and any restrictions on resale or relicensing - Exclusivity and term - [De-identification](https://quotemydata.com/glossary#de-identification) standard and who performs it, and where - Approval criteria and window, then payment timing - Security commitments, incident notice and deletion of raw data ## Who de-identifies the data? Usually the buyer. [Scale AI](https://quotemydata.com/buyers/scale-ai) says it removes identities inside the seller’s environment; [micro1](https://quotemydata.com/buyers/micro1) says it removes or transforms PII itself; Mercor says it de-identifies automatically with seller approval; Polyshares strips identifiers before transfer. Ask to review a sample either way. ## Worked example: a deal from first call to payment (fictional) Week 1 to 3: Cobalt Structural, a fictional 70-person engineering firm, shares system counts and history dates; the buyer scopes email and project management. Week 4: offer received, non-exclusive. Week 6 to 9: license and consent signed, client domains excluded in writing. Week 10 to 13: export through an approved route and de-identification; Cobalt reviews a sample. Week 14 to 17: buyer approves the data and pays within its stated window. About four months end to end. ## When not to do it - Do not start extraction before the license defines exclusions and approval criteria in writing. - Do not agree to open-ended approval windows; payment should follow a dated acceptance step. ## Sources 1. [Scale AI data partnership](https://scale.com/data-partnership) 2. [micro1 data partnerships](https://www.micro1.ai/data-partnerships) 3. [Mercor data program](https://www.mercor.com/data/) 4. [Polyshares data licensing](https://polyshares.com/data-licensing) Content revised November 1, 2026. Buyer profiles show program review dates; historical reporting is identified separately. Figures are each buyer’s published range or reported values, labelled as such, and are not offers. This is general information, not legal advice. QuoteMyData may be paid by buyers when a deal closes; see our [disclosure](https://quotemydata.com/disclosure). ## Questions about this guide Still unsure? [Get a free quote](https://quotemydata.com/quote) ### Who does the technical work? Assign extraction, preparation, review and delivery responsibilities in writing. Some programs provide tooling; your team still needs an authorized scope and a way to verify what is delivered. ## Keep reading Guide ### [Exclusive or non-exclusive](https://quotemydata.com/guides/exclusive-vs-non-exclusive-data-licensing) Compare exclusivity by dataset, use, buyer, geography and duration. Understand the questions to resolve before agreeing to an AI data license. Guide ### [Payment structures](https://quotemydata.com/guides/upfront-vs-recurring-data-payments) Compare fixed fees, acceptance-based payments and recurring arrangements. Identify payment triggers, refresh obligations and contingent revenue. Seller resource ### [Data licensing glossary](https://quotemydata.com/glossary) Plain-English definitions of the terms in a data licensing deal, from approval window to exclusive license. Seller resource ### [Compare AI data buyers](https://quotemydata.com/compare/ai-data-buyers) Every buyer program side by side: what each buys, eligibility, published ranges, payment and de-identification. Data market profile ### [Endless Data](https://quotemydata.com/buyers/endless-data) Quotes a fixed price up front and licenses operational records non-exclusively. Data market profile ### [Mode / BizBuyData](https://quotemydata.com/buyers/mode-bizbuydata) Mode’s current company-data program buys an agreed copy of operating records for AI research and training. ## 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. [Estimate my data’s value](https://quotemydata.com/quote)