SpaceX logo (public domain) via Wikimedia Commons
SpaceXAI is exploring customer and operational data as it seeks new sources for AI training beyond Musk’s X platform and internal tutors.
SpaceX has discussed buying customer and operational data from troubled or defunct startups to improve its artificial intelligence models, according to people familiar with the matter.
The informal talks within SpaceXAI may not lead to a deal. The AI unit is seeking affordable, high-quality data to train Grok and other systems, with a focus on operational information and customer records.
The approach would mark a shift from SpaceXAI’s earlier reliance on data from Elon Musk’s social network, X, and in-house specialists known as AI tutors. The company continues to use those tutors for specialized skills including finance, science and humor, but the team has experienced departures and leadership changes.
SpaceXAI is competing to build more advanced AI products that can rival Anthropic and OpenAI while expanding its business customer base. The company has also considered external datasets as it works to improve model performance across different tasks.
Jack Garabedian, a former Starlink staffer, recently took over the AI training team. Bloomberg reported that he replaced engineer Diego Pasini and has since introduced clearer processes, meetings and goals for training data.
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An internal newsletter highlighted progress on a new AI model and coding agent. The team said annotation, preference alignment and validation were essential to turning those efforts into finished products.
SpaceX is also drawing on information from within Musk’s broader company empire. Musk recently told SpaceX employees that Grok would be trained on the company’s entire body of information, including data generated by employees.
The discussions follow a similar move by Google, which offered to buy business data from Spirit Airlines after the carrier shut down. That proposal raised privacy concerns among former flight attendants.
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