Scale AI used public Google Docs for confidential work with Meta, xAI in stunning revelation after $14B investment: report

The artificial intelligence start-up that recently clinched a $14 billion investment from Meta has an “incredibly janky” security system – using public Google Doc files to store confidential information on clients like Meta, Google and xAI, according to a report.It was reported earlier this month that Meta agreed to take a 49% stake in Scale AI for $14.8 billion and bring the startup’s CEO Alexandr Wang over to lead a new “superintelligence” lab.That shockingly steep price tag indicates that Meta believes Wang and his company are key to bringing the social media firm’s AI division to the next level.But the company has been strangely relaxed when it comes to its work with high-profile clients, leaving top-secret projects and sensitive information like email addresses and pay details in Google Docs accessible to anyone with a link, according to Business Insider.“We are conducting a thorough investigation and have disabled any user’s ability to publicly share documents from Scale-managed systems,” a Scale AI spokesperson told BI. “We remain committed to robust technical and policy safeguards to protect confidential information and are always working to strengthen our practices.”While there is no indication the public files have led to a breach, they could leave the company susceptible to hacks, according to cybersecurity experts.Scale AI, Google and xAI did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment.Meta declined to comment.Five current and former Scale AI contractors told BI that the use of Google Docs was widespread across the company.“The whole Google Docs system always seemed incredibly janky,” one worker said.BI said it was able to view thousands of pages of project documents across 85 Google Docs detailing Scale AI’s sensitive work with Big Tech clients, like how Google used OpenAI’s ChatGPT to fine-tune its own chatbot.At least seven Google manuals marked “confidential” including recommendations to improve ...