OpenAI Demands Contractor Work Data, Explores Ads Amid IP Concerns

• OpenAI and Handshake AI are reportedly asking contractors to upload authentic past and current professional work files.
• The company seeks specific work examples like Word documents, PDFs, presentations, spreadsheets, and code to train AI models for white-collar task automation.
• Contractors are instructed to use a scrubbing tool to remove proprietary and personal information, but legal experts warn of significant IP risks.
• OpenAI is exploring introducing advertising into ChatGPT, including conversational ads and sponsored recommendations, to diversify revenue.
• The company faces tension between monetization efforts and maintaining user trust, with internal discussions hinting at preparatory ad work despite public denials.

Why It Matters: OpenAI's aggressive data acquisition and ad exploration raise IP and user trust concerns.