An AI Company Contacted You About Your Data. What Now?

If an AI company asks about your records, do not begin by sending raw files or negotiating only the first dollar amount. First determine what the buyer wants, what the company may possess, which rights are involved, whether other credible buyers exist, and what preparation the proposal would require.

The inquiry is evidence of one buyer's interest. It is not yet a complete picture of the market or the transaction.

Preserve the inquiry

Keep the original message, proposed scope, attachments, names, and timing. Record what the buyer said it wants and what remains unclear.

Do not improve the buyer's language on its behalf. A vague request should remain visibly vague until the buyer explains it. Terms such as "training data," "historical records," or "workflow access" can describe very different rights and technical requirements.

Limit the first response

A useful initial response can acknowledge the inquiry and request more information without disclosing sensitive records.

Questions may include:

• What product or technical use is being considered?

• Which workflows or record categories appear relevant?

• What period and approximate scale does the buyer have in mind?

• Is the proposed use internal, customer-facing, or both?

• Does the buyer expect evaluation, training, testing, ongoing access, or future refreshes?

• Which affiliates, contractors, or customers may use the material?

• What commercial and diligence process does the buyer expect?

The seller does not need to answer every question about its own records before the buyer explains the proposed use.

Do not treat the first offer as the market

A direct proposal tells you what one buyer is willing to offer under one set of terms. It does not automatically show what the complete opportunity is worth, whether another buyer has a stronger use, or which future rights the seller may be giving away.

That does not make the buyer dishonest. It means the buyer is representing its own interests with information and experience the seller may not have.

The seller should evaluate whether a controlled market test is appropriate before granting exclusivity or committing to a timetable.

Separate price from the complete deal

Ask what the offer requires in return.

The commercial structure may include:

• records and time period

• permitted purpose

• exclusivity

• affiliates and contractors

• model or product coverage

• derived materials

• preparation obligations

• acceptance criteria

• security requirements

• payment timing

• term and termination

• future refreshes

• audit, deletion, or certification duties

A price without these terms is not yet comparable.

Assess rights before making promises

The company may have contractual, privacy, confidentiality, intellectual property, regulatory, or employment obligations that affect the proposed use.

Do not promise that all requested records can be licensed because they exist in company systems. Ask counsel to evaluate a defined proposal. A narrow scope may be workable even when a broad request is not.

ROZETA does not replace legal advice. We help make the proposed commercial use concrete enough for the seller's advisors to analyze.

Estimate preparation after scope becomes credible

Avoid beginning a large export simply to prove seriousness.

First identify where the records live, how they connect, what filtering may be required, and which team would perform the work. A staged technical review can test recoverability without turning the initial inquiry into a company-wide project.

The buyer should not be able to expand the burden through informal requests after the commercial discussion begins. Scope changes should be visible and evaluated.

Decide who will represent the seller

The buyer may bring product, engineering, procurement, and legal professionals to the process. The seller should decide who is responsible for its side.

ROZETA can:

• assess the proposed opportunity

• clarify the buyer's request

• prepare a seller-side opportunity brief

• identify other plausible buyers

• coordinate questions and disclosure

• compare complete proposals

• negotiate commercial structure

• work with the seller's legal and technical advisors

The operating company still controls the records, the outreach, the disclosures, and the final decision.

A good outcome is an informed decision

The right answer may be to proceed, narrow the proposal, test other demand, wait, or decline. The purpose of a seller-side process is not to force one answer.

It is to prevent a first-time seller from making a permanent decision based only on the framing, timetable, and agreement provided by the first buyer.

Tell us a buyer contacted you or review how to compare an offer.