本文来自微信公众号：Founder Park，编译：Founder Park，原文标题：《0 融资、10 亿美元营收，数据 标注领域真正的巨头，不认为合成数据是未来》，头图来自：AI生成 比 Scale AI 更值得关注的 AI 数据标注公司出现了。 同样是华人创始人，2020 年创立，120 人左右的团队，去年营收达到 10 亿美元，至今没有融资， Google、OpenAI 和 Anthropic 都是它的客户。 对比之下，Scale AI 去年的收入是 8.7 亿美元，已经是 F 轮融资，累计融资 16 亿美元。 在被 Meta 收购了近一大半股份、创始人 Alexandr Wang 加入 Meta 之后，Scale AI 被谷歌、OpenAI 等 大客户暂停合作，Surge AI 的优势更加明显，隐约要成为数据标注领域的领头者。 创始人兼 CEO Edwin Chen 是一个很独特的创始人，曾在谷歌、Facebook 和 Twitter 担任机器学习工程 师的他，对于数据有非常多有价值的深入思考。Edwin Chen 最近接受了几家播客的采访，对于创业和 模型的数据训练，输出了不少观点。 比如在他看来 ...

Core Insights - Surge AI, founded in 2020, has achieved significant revenue growth, reaching $1 billion in revenue without any external funding, positioning itself as a strong competitor in the AI data annotation space [1][5][14] - In contrast, Scale AI, which raised $1.6 billion in funding and generated $870 million in revenue last year, has faced challenges, including a reduction in partnerships with major clients like Google and OpenAI after a significant stake acquisition by Meta [2][4][14] - Edwin Chen, the CEO of Surge AI, emphasizes the importance of high-quality data over synthetic data, arguing that the industry has overestimated the value of synthetic data and that human feedback remains essential [4][32][36] Company Overview - Surge AI focuses on delivering high-quality data specifically for training and evaluating AI models, distinguishing itself from competitors that primarily offer human outsourcing services [4][20] - The company has built a reputation for prioritizing data quality, employing complex algorithms to ensure the data provided meets high standards [17][21] - Surge AI's revenue model is based on providing various forms of data, including supervised fine-tuning (SFT) data and preference data, which are critical for enhancing AI model capabilities [14][15] Market Position - Surge AI is positioned to become a leader in the data annotation field, especially as Scale AI faces setbacks due to its funding and partnership issues [2][4] - The company’s approach contrasts with many competitors, which are described as "body shops" lacking technological capabilities to measure or improve data quality [25][26] - Surge AI's commitment to maintaining control and focusing on product quality without seeking external funding is seen as a strategic advantage [5][7][9] Data Quality and Challenges - Edwin Chen argues that the industry has a flawed understanding of data quality, often equating it with quantity rather than the richness and creativity of the data [46][48] - The company believes that high-quality data should embrace human creativity and subjective insights, rather than merely meeting basic criteria [47][50] - Surge AI aims to redefine what constitutes high-quality data by collaborating with clients to establish tailored quality standards for different domains [49] Future Outlook - The demand for diverse and high-quality data is expected to grow, with a focus on combining various data types, including reinforcement learning environments and expert reasoning processes [31][39] - Edwin Chen predicts that as AI continues to evolve, the need for human feedback will remain critical, even as models become more advanced [36][37] - The company is exploring ways to standardize deep human evaluation processes to enhance understanding of model capabilities across the industry [51]