OpenAI plans to continue working with Scale AI even after rival tech giant Meta agreed to acquire a 49% stake in the artificial intelligence startup for $14.8 billion, the company’s Chief Financial Officer, Sarah Friar, said Friday at the VivaTech conference in Paris.

Scale AI, known for providing large volumes of curated and labeled data essential for training advanced AI models, plays a key role in supporting tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

“We don’t want to ice the ecosystem because acquisitions are going to happen,” Friar said. “And if we ice each other out, I think we’re actually going to slow the pace of innovation.”

Meta, whose Llama family of AI models competes directly with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, recently tapped Scale CEO Alexandr Wang to lead its new superintelligence division. Despite the shift, Friar emphasized that OpenAI’s partnerships remain broad.

“We don’t just buy from Scale,” she noted. “We work with many vendors on the data front.”

As artificial intelligence systems become more sophisticated, Friar added, the need for high-quality, expert-generated data is increasing. “You’re going into a place where you need real expertise… we have academics and experts telling us that they are finding novel things in their space.”

In the escalating race to advance AI, companies like OpenAI are relying on networks of human trainers with deep subject matter knowledge — from historians to scientists, some holding PhDs — to ensure their models continue to evolve effectively.