"60 Minutes": How Humans Make AI Smarter

AI models need more data than they can glean just by eating the internet.

"60 Minutes": How Humans Make AI Smarter

TL;DR

  • Mercor, a multibillion-dollar AI data company, uses over 100,000 freelancers to train AI models with human expertise.
  • AI models require more data than can be obtained solely from the internet.
  • Professionals such as a winemaker, music producer, and physician are training AI at Mercor.
  • Mercor's CEO, Brendan Foody, stated the company's mission is to teach AI everything humans want it to do.
  • Mercor grew from 20 full-time employees in January 2025 to 400, with annualized revenue increasing from $1 million to $2 billion in 24 months.
  • "60 Minutes" used AI company Runway to create an AI version of Jon Wertheim's studio intro, demonstrating technological advancement.