AI's Hidden Workforce: Millions in the Global South Power Machine Learning
Sociologist Antonio Casilli says that artificial intelligence depends on a concealed labor force of data workers, mainly located in the Global South.
According to Antonio Casilli, AI systems are not fully autonomous; they rely on a vast, often invisible network of people who label, curate and process data. These workers are predominantly based in developing regions and are deliberately kept out of public view by AI firms. Casilli estimates that more than 160 million individuals worldwide perform this type of data work.
Why it matters
Understanding AI's reliance on hidden labor reveals ethical and economic issues behind widely used technologies.
In this story
artificial intelligencedata workersGlobal Southhidden labormachine learningAntonio CasilliAI industryethical AI
