AI labs buy failed startups’ archives for training

AI labs are buying data from shuttered startups as they seek real-world records to train AI agents. Keelan Miskell, who initially saw little value in his crypto startup’s digital archives, has earned tens of thousands of dollars by selling its codebase and workspace data. Companies that help startups shut down are participating in this growing market, connecting their data with buyers. Demand has increased as training labs encounter the limits of public and synthetic datasets, but the transactions raise legal and ethical questions.

Advances in AI and a growing range of devices are also making it easier to study animal communication. Researchers are investigating howls, squeaks, and clicks to understand how other species communicate with one another. Decoding those signals could offer insight into animals’ inner lives and how they perceive the world. Collecting and studying their sounds is becoming easier, but making sense of them remains complex.