AI Breakdown Datumo vs. Scale AI: The Next Great Rivalry
Aug 21, 2025
The rivalry between Datumo and Scale AI signals a shift in the AI services landscape. Datumo is leveraging a groundbreaking crowdsourced approach to emerge as a strong contender in AI data labeling. Their recent funding of $15.5 million aims to disrupt traditional methods, promoting greater openness and speed in the industry. The potential benefits for both developers and end-users are substantial, especially in light of Scale AI's acquisition by Meta.
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Crowdsourced Labeling From A Reward App
- Datumo began as a data-labeling startup in Seoul and built a reward-based app to crowdsource labeling from casual users.
- The CEO, David Kim, created the app to speed up slow labeling workflows and paid users for short labeling tasks.
Safety And Explainability Drive Demand
- Many companies feel unprepared to deploy AI safely, with 40% citing explainability as a significant risk in a McKinsey survey.
- Only a small fraction actively address these risks, creating demand for evaluation and benchmarking services.
From Labeling To Model Evaluation
- Datumo expanded from annotation into model evaluation and safety benchmarking as customers asked for scoring and comparisons.
- They now offer a no-code evaluation tool aimed at policy, trust, safety, and compliance teams.