Google ends contract with an AI data organization

Google terminates the contract with an AI data firm that assisted in training Bard

Google has terminated its contract with Appen, an Australian data business that trains its massive language model AI tools used in Bard, Search, and other products, despite rising competition for generative AI technologies. Google spokesman Courtenay Mencini said in a statement to The Verge that the company’s decision to cancel the contract was made as part of its ongoing effort to evaluate and adjust many of its supplier partnerships across Alphabet. This was to ensure that Google’s vendor operations would remain as efficient as possible in the future too. Appen, however, mentioned to the Australian Securities Exchange in a filing that it had no prior notice that Google would cut off all ties with Appen and declare the contract null and void.

Reportedly, Appen has also helped train AI models for Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon. The company stated in its ASX filing that its collaboration with Google has had a major impact on its revenue. Appen's income from Google alone in fiscal year 2023 totaled $82.8 million. It earned $273 million last year. Mencini also stated that Google is cooperating as much as it can with Appen to make these changes a better ride to adapt to. A few employees at Accenture, which is another of Google’s contractors, vowed to join with the Alphabet Workers Union which happens to represent all of Google’s contractors.