Behind today’s AI revolution stands an invisible workforce: millions of data workers who painstakingly train artificial intelligence systems we all use. Many of them are based in the Global South, like Kenya. They are being exposed to traumatizing content and difficult work conditions, while earning a fraction of their counterparts in developed countries. But the tide is turning. These workers are breaking their silence, challenging the system, and demanding fair recognition in the world of AI.
0:00 A hidden workforce behind AI?
1:15 What’s life like for those training AI for the world?
2:29 Why does AI rely on human annotators?
3:37 How one data worker pushed herself to the brink
4:42 The dire work of a TikTok content moderator
7:10 A global underclass of digital workers
8:28 How the rise of large language models changed data annotation work
10:43 Why do data workers have to explain gruesome issues like cannibalism?
12:53 An invisible network of companies spanning the globe
14:48 Overnight, no more work
16:03 Researchers collect stories from data workers worldwide
18:33 Data workers in Nairobi unite to fight back
21:07 Stepping out of the shadows
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OMG Do you realize that they earned 600 USD a month with tagging some vids while the GDP of the country is 2000 annually! The COMPLAIN about having no securities while doing intensionally gigs on freelancer plattforms? They were making good money and they still complain? They think that their robotic simple tasks is what makes millions/billions for others at the end? They dont even know how many digits a million has and what the difference is between a billion. Their entire datasets can be downloaded for FREE on kaggle and others.
They were earning as much as a DOCTOR for work that didnt require any intelligence at all. And they are wining and feel exploited because of some gore content? What a pointless documentary. Some random overpaid big mamas doing some random tagging for random datasets and you want us to believe there is a connection to Ai training? FOR REAL?
Teaching the computer the difference between a cat and a dog was done in 2010 already – What they REALLY did was solving captchas and they earned a massive income!
This Data Annotation Jobs are increasing Day by Day in India also. I know many people who are involved in this Jobs
Im in South Africa and I did this for a month during the pandemic for Remotetask and got paid $0.25 in total. 😂😂😂 I decided to become a teacher instead.
Do DW fear retribution as well..why arent they naming the companies.
this is media washing..this without punishment or compensation is nothing..
we all know that the west is has always bn preying on the desperation of the grobal south be it Africa or India
infact its a carefully choreographed Western way of doing things..Western companies exploiting Africa for money..then media houses coming to conduct the minimum amount of reporting and getting funding for it..simply sickening..
name the Western companies..
this happens in every industry..mining..agriculture..telecoms..you name it
Why do Kenyans and Zimbabweans suffer so much. It is sad and not right.😢
Good reporting, but some context. I am from Kenya, and legal minimum wage starts from approximately $1per hour. Many are actually paid less, for more hazardous work.
So if US tech firms are paying double the minimum wage it can't be so bad for employees.
Although they should (if they dont) inform employees of content they have to analyse, and let the people decide if they want to work there or not.
Decent work must be respected, thank you DW
DW is doing what the government should be doing
17:22 ~ The funny thing is these companies have outrageous hiring requirements and potential recruits have to undergo a rigorous vetting process and only get hired if they pass the checks. Then get to earn cents from tasks!!!
lol I don’t see the issue I was expecting much worse, they’re getting paid they can work somewhere else let’s see how much their own people pay them, 7/100 is not slot of graphic material to see why are people intent on making nothing into an expose are they serious…… there’s r8p crisis and war and death camps afoot this is ridiculous
With only a degree we have been able to write masters thesis for students in U.S and Europe for the same peanut money. What amazes me is that this guys graduates after submitting the tasks we did for them.
ZAKAYO advocates for online jobs little did i know such tasks could harm one forever. 😢
Expose expose expose!!!
this jobs are subcontracted maybe 3 times by the time it gets to the employees there is nothing left
AI is exploitive and built on stolen labor.
AI is terrible and exploits poor people.
How much yll get for this coverage vs how much the Kenyans who have witnessed will, speaks how you guys are just like the ones yo exposed
Kenya is the Worlds power house of quality human capital. Software developers included. We don't give up but we shall revisit with more innovations beyond them.
The ldea of Western media is to Tarnish kenya name and make this companies relocate to Asia. What is the comparative pay in Asia and kenya why don't you talk about Bpo in Philippines and India. You could have lnclude d thier pay too. Kenya women are being enslaved in middle East. The western embassies in Kenya survive on visa denial fees and very unbiased giving visa even EU. Please do a documentary iof this give is visa to work in EU and American . We need jobs we need opportunitues more than one millions graduated come out no jobs.
Give us alternatives Doctors in Kenya do food delivery without pay for months others have already committing succcide. Give us alternatives. No one is forced to do this jobs. If you are better in lT you can do better jobs like in lsreal etc.
Just after watching Biggii from @Sandwich podcast
Kenyans we are brilliant, academics, tech, AI you name it. How I wish we had Kenyan tech companies for Kenyans to work in rather than the brain drain to Chinese and American companies for cents. Kenya is a remote job sweat shop! It must stop, they should pay well or pack and go.
Wow 👍
AI machines don't have souls.
Humans breathe and die.
The AI machines will not die.
In 2022, the life expectancy for a human is 77.5 years. The AI machine will eventually overtake humanity. God created humans to be wiser, not wealthier. 😲
the icc has to come out to reguate this ai humanity is going
"We employ the unemployable"😡😡😡
You’re two years too late, DW!
The report comes at a time when AI is cruising to the peak. Great work to all the people involved in the production. We are informed and cautious.
overrated country
I have the screenshot of minimal payments I received from remotask before it was closed
Serves them right for not developing
Training AI earns $2 per hour in kenya.Exploitation while they reap massive benefits in San Fransisco. kenya is the new China of the 80’s.Sad.Someone needs to stop this madness.
I am from India. They have started hiring in India too. Just recently they hired me. It was a work from home job. But very soon I found out that data annotation is very tedious job. Very very time taking. They expected me to complete 8-10 tasks per day. But it takes me whole day to complete even more than 1 task. They expect the data annotation to be best quality. They give completion ratings from 1 to 5. But I lied to them that my laptop has stopped working and left the job.
How big companies exploit workers from “xyz” developing country.
There fixed the title you can make episodes forever now.
This is largely misrepresented. These folks are being used to label data. Its a mindless task and doesnt really command a living wage. The end result of this is that we just move the ops to India. 😂