{"version":1,"type":"story","url":"https://digestai.news/story/openai-fires-contractors-for-using-ai-to-train-its-models-report-says","json":"https://digestai.news/story/openai-fires-contractors-for-using-ai-to-train-its-models-report-says.json","markdown":"https://digestai.news/story/openai-fires-contractors-for-using-ai-to-train-its-models-report-says.md","slug":"openai-fires-contractors-for-using-ai-to-train-its-models-report-says","headline":"OpenAI fires contractors for using AI to train its models, report says","summary":"404 Media reports that several contractors hired to improve OpenAI’s ChatGPT have been terminated after using AI tools to complete their labeling work. The contractors, who review real user prompts and rate model responses, are instructed in internal documents not to employ any generative AI, detection tools, or even grammar assistants such as Grammarly. One of the leaked policies explicitly bans “using GPTZero or any other AI detection tool” and warns that reviewers must judge patterns rather than single clues.\n\nThe report, based on internal documents and interviews with three anonymous contractors, says the contractor pool may exceed ten thousand people. Two of the sources confirmed that individuals were fired or off‑boarded for violating the no‑AI rule. A spokesperson for Mercor, the staffing firm that supplies many of these reviewers, said the company “immediately removes” experts when AI use is detected. OpenAI declined to comment on the alleged terminations. The article also notes concerns about “model collapse,” where models trained on AI‑generated text degrade over time, underscoring why the policy is enforced.","keyPoints":["404 Media says contractors were fired for using AI in OpenAI labeling tasks.","Internal documents prohibit any AI, detection tools, or Grammarly for reviewers.","Mercor states it removes experts immediately when AI use is confirmed."],"whyItMatters":"Enforcing anti‑AI‑use rules for data labelers aims to prevent model collapse and highlights oversight challenges in AI training pipelines.","category":{"slug":"policy","name":"Policy & Regulation","url":"https://digestai.news/category/policy"},"entities":{"companies":["OpenAI","Mercor","404 Media"],"models":[],"people":[]},"firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-22T12:59:12Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-22T12:59:12Z","sourceCount":1,"hasPrimarySource":false,"sources":[{"outlet":"404media.co","title":"People Training OpenAI’s AI Fired for Using AI to Train the AI","url":"https://404media.co/people-training-openais-ai-fired-for-using-ai-to-train-the-ai","publishedAt":"2026-09-22T12:59:12Z","type":"press","primary":false,"lead":true}],"sourceNotes":null,"discussions":[],"thread":null,"cite":{"text":"Digest AI, \"OpenAI fires contractors for using AI to train its models, report says\", 22 September 2026, https://digestai.news/story/openai-fires-contractors-for-using-ai-to-train-its-models-report-says","publisher":"Digest AI","title":"OpenAI fires contractors for using AI to train its models, report says","datePublished":"2026-09-22T12:59:12Z","url":"https://digestai.news/story/openai-fires-contractors-for-using-ai-to-train-its-models-report-says"},"generatedBy":"Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record.","license":"Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse"}