OpenAI contractors fired for using AI to train OpenAI's models

People Training OpenAI's AI Fired for Using AI to Train the AI

404 Media obtained internal docs and spoke to three contractors: OpenAI hires thousands of people to rate ChatGPT responses, but many are using AI to generate their annotations. The rules ban any AI use, including Grammarly and AI translation. Reviewers spot AI-written work by looking for repetitive words, AI-style punctuation like overused em dashes, and unusually fast turnaround. Getting caught means immediate removal. One fired contractor said they just needed a boost and it led to their downfall. Outsourcing firm Mercor confirmed its contracts prohibit LLM use and violators are removed on detection.

Why it matters: 404 Media obtained internal docs and interviewed three fired labelers — solid sourcing. The story doesn't involve a model capability update, so it doesn't reach 85, but the irony and concrete detection details make it worth featuring.