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Google has ended its contract with Appen, an Australian data firm that trained its language model AI tools used in Bard, Search, and other products.
"Our decision to end the contract was made as part of our ongoing effort to evaluate and adjust many of our supplier partnerships across Alphabet to ensure our vendor operations are as efficient as possible," Google spokesperson Courtenay Mencini was quoted as saying by The Verge.
Mencini further stated that Google is working closely with Appen to make the transition "as smooth as possible."
Appen, on the other hand, notified the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) in a filing, saying that it "had no prior knowledge of Google's decision to terminate the contract."
Employees at companies like Appen usually undertake many of the most disagreeable aspects of AI training and are often the underpaid, undervalued backbone of the entire industry. Contractors at Appen help to rate the quality of data and AI model answers.
Last year, Fast Company reported that select Appen employees who are members of the Alphabet Workers Union petitioned the firm to increase pay from $10 to $15 per hour. The union was successful in gaining compensation increases, although the final number fell short of its goal. Many of these employees were then laid off, with Appen citing economic conditions.
According to a CNBC report, 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 revenue from Google alone in fiscal year 2023 totaled $82.8 million. It earned $273 million last year.
