An anonymous reader shares a report: YouTubers and other digital content creators are selling their unused video footage to AI companies seeking exclusive videos to better train their AI algorithms, oftentimes netting thousands of dollars per deal. OpenAI, Alphabet’s Google, AI media company Moonvalley and several other AI companies are collectively paying hundreds of content creators for access to their unpublished videos, according to people familiar with the negotiations.
That content, which hasn’t been posted elsewhere online, is considered valuable for training artificial intelligence systems since it’s unique. AI companies are currently paying between $1 and $4 per minute of footage, the people said, with prices increasing depending on video quality or format. Videos that are shot in 4K, for example, go for a higher price, as does non-traditional footage like videos captured from drones or using 3D animations. Most footage, such as unused video created for networks like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, is selling for somewhere between $1 and $2 per minute.