What business data can you license for AI?
A plain-English guide to useful business records, what stays out and how to assess your company without uploading raw data.
Licensing business data gives a buyer permission to use specified records for specified purposes. It does not mean selling your company or giving away all your files. Your company sets the scope; a deal depends on your right to share the records and the buyer’s interest.
Start with the work, not the software
A list of customer names tells very little about how a business operates. A record of a customer problem, the team's response and the outcome tells a useful story. Buyers may use that context to train or improve AI, under the licence terms. These examples are made up, not customer records.
CRM and sales
Useful records can include deal stages, dated sales notes, follow-ups and reasons an opportunity was won or lost. For example: a prospect asks about delivery times, the sales team clarifies the requirement, and the opportunity moves to a quote. The value is in the sequence and decision, not the person's identity.
Customer support
A question, the replies, troubleshooting steps and final resolution can show how a problem was solved. A ticket saying only "closed" offers less context than a complete conversation. Passwords, payment information and unrelated sensitive details must stay out.
Email and team conversations
Project discussions, approvals and handovers may explain why a decision was made. Complete threads can be more useful than disconnected messages. An entire inbox is not automatically suitable. Personal conversations, confidential client material and excluded folders need to be considered before any scope is agreed.
Documents and call transcripts
Checklists, operating instructions and project handovers can explain how work gets done. Approved business-call transcripts may contain questions, answers and next steps. A software subscription or possession of a recording does not, by itself, establish permission to license everything inside it.
What stays out
Do not send passwords, API keys, payment-card details, government IDs, health records or children's data. Exclude sensitive systems and folders before transfer. Privacy review must cover free text as well as obvious fields such as names and email addresses.
What to prepare first
List the systems you use, the years covered, approximate record counts and the person who can verify them. Note any customer, employee or supplier restrictions. For Maryah onboarding, start with answers, counts and screenshots. Do not upload raw records. Data moves only after a buyer deal is agreed, under the agreed scope and handling process.
Not sure whether your records qualify?
Use the assessment to describe what you have. You do not need to clean up or export your entire business before asking. An assessment checks fit; it is not a purchase offer or a promise of a sale.