How engineering and architecture firms can sell data to AI companies

Engineering and architecture firms start from a better rights position than most. The AIA Contract Documents help center says that under B101-2017 the architect and its consultants are deemed the authors and owners of their instruments of service and retain their copyright. The obstacles are confidentiality and security, not ownership.

What engineering and architecture data do AI companies buy?

AI companies buy engineering and architecture data that captures expert reasoning with a check attached. A calculation package shows a design decision and its verification. A technical query log shows a question, the reasoning and the resolution.

micro1 asks for project histories, process documentation and templates, and says several years of records across multiple systems is generally a stronger fit. A practice with years of project files in a document management system matches that description.

Who owns the copyright in drawings and models?

The designer usually owns the copyright in drawings and models. Under 17 U.S.C. section 201, copyright vests initially in the author, and the employer is treated as the author of work employees prepare within the scope of their employment. Under AIA B101-2017, the owner receives a license solely for constructing, using, maintaining, altering and adding to the project, according to the AIA Contract Documents help center.

Check your agreements anyway. Some owners require an assignment of copyright, which is valid only in a signed writing under 17 U.S.C. section 204(a), and design-build arrangements can change who holds what. Models also contain subconsultants' work and manufacturers' objects that are not yours to license.

Engineering projects involving defense work, federal security requirements or security-sensitive assets should be held back unless the client agrees in writing. Under the ITAR, at 22 CFR 120.50(a)(2), releasing technical data to a foreign person in the United States is a deemed export, and the EAR, at 15 CFR 734.13, treats a release of controlled technology to a foreign person in the same way.

Federal work adds more layers. Under 32 CFR 2002.4(h), controlled unclassified information includes information a contractor creates or possesses for the government that must be handled with safeguarding or dissemination controls, and the NISPOM at 32 CFR part 117 governs classified information disclosed to or developed by contractors. Exclude anything marked CUI or classified.

For other sensitive assets, ISO 19650-5, published in 2020, sets out a security-minded approach to managing sensitive information in BIM and across the life of an asset. Site photos and progress reports also show workers and members of the public, so remove faces and license plates, or leave the photos out.

How much is engineering data worth to AI buyers?

No buyer publishes an engineering or architecture range. The nearest published figure is Mercor's construction company listing of $115,000 to $1 million for firms with 50 to 2,000 staff, recorded by ddiy.co in October 2026, but that applies to contractors, not design firms.

micro1's general tiers start at $100,000 to $500,000 for a qualified partnership and rise to $3 million or more for highly unique operational data. If your practice also builds, see our page for construction companies.

If you hold UK or EU data

UK practices start from a similar position. RIBA Journal explains that under a RIBA appointment the architect keeps copyright and licenses it to the client, and section 11 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 gives copyright in employees' work to the employer. GOV.UK guidance for contractors says suppliers handle HMG classified information under the Government Security Classifications Policy, so exclude anything marked OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE or higher.

How do you sell engineering data through Sell My Data To AI?

We start with a consultation and a rights pre-check against your agreements. Every seller passes our eight-point vetting standard before a buyer sees anything, and every buyer is verified for intended use and onward transfer limits.

You approve every buyer and every license term. Read how to build a data manifest, or book a consultation.