- A field study shows that many jobs promoted as “AI jobs” are actually data labeling labor with precarious conditions and low income.
- Workers must classify, label, test, and moderate text, images, audio, and video to generate training data for AI.
- This workforce serves not only technology companies but also banks, insurance companies, healthcare providers, and government agencies, including the defense sector.
- An initial survey of 10 workers in China and Australia shows that individuals with PhDs or STEM qualifications in developed countries can take on specialized jobs earning about 400–800 AUD per hour (equivalent to about 260–520 USD per hour).
- Conversely, the majority of workers perform only repetitive tasks like drawing object bounding boxes or audio labeling and receive only about 6 AUD per day (about 3.9 USD per day) or less.
- Many state that their income is insufficient to cover living expenses, while prolonged work causes eye strain and back pain.
- Workers typically have no contracts, are treated as platform “users,” and have very little right to appeal evaluation results.
- They often do not know which company they are working for or who evaluates their work quality—whether humans or AI.
- Platforms in China only pay after work meets standards, meaning many hours of labor may go unpaid.
- Many workers find that AI is increasingly replacing simple tasks, leaving them with harder jobs that are not proportionately compensated.
- Businesses increasingly recruit vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities, pregnant women, or recent graduates because they have fewer alternative employment choices.
- The study argues that the challenge lies not in the quantity of jobs AI creates, but in job quality and the need to build protection mechanisms for this workforce.
- 📌 The study points out that behind the development of AI lies a silent workforce performing data labeling tasks under unstable conditions. While some experts may earn 400–800 Australian dollars per hour (about 260–520 USD per hour), the majority earn only about 6 Australian dollars per day (about 3.9 USD per day). As AI increasingly automates more tasks, these individuals are left handling harder jobs while still lacking contracts, bargaining power, and long-term protection.
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