According to TechCrunch AI, OpenAI is reportedly asking contractors to upload real work from their past jobs, a practice that has raised significant intellectual property concerns among legal experts.
An intellectual property lawyer cited in the report stated that OpenAI is “putting itself at great risk” with this approach. The practice appears to involve contractors submitting actual work products from previous employment, which could potentially include proprietary or confidential information belonging to other companies.
The report does not specify the purpose for which OpenAI is requesting this material, nor does it detail how widespread this practice is among the company’s contractor workforce. TechCrunch AI did not provide information about OpenAI’s response to these concerns or whether the company has implemented safeguards to verify that contractors have the legal right to share such materials.
This development comes at a time when AI companies face increasing scrutiny over their data collection and training practices, particularly regarding the use of copyrighted or proprietary materials. The potential legal implications of using contractors’ past work could expose both OpenAI and the contractors themselves to intellectual property disputes with their former employers.