Overview
Some advocates proclaim AI as ‘the greatest technology humanity has yet developed’ and claim it will reshape our society. Others say AI will contribute about US$ 15 trillion (roughly the size of the EU economy) to the global economy by 2030. Yet, AI remains an enigma: little is known about where and how AI systems are made, who are the key actors involved, and that human labour is behind them.
AI systems often thought to be automated are actually dependent on human workers labelling and cleaning data to train algorithms when they give incorrect answers. ChatGPT and driverless cars would not exist without this behind-the-scenes human labour for AI. Large Silicon Valley firms rely on the outsourcing of data enrichment tasks (commonly known as ‘data work’) to different parts of the planet via a host of suppliers and labour platforms.
The digital nature of data work means its value chains (different stages of production, and distribution of goods) can go anywhere across the planet both to Global North countries (i.e., high-income) such as the United States and the United Kingdom and Global South (i.e., low and middle-income) such as India, Colombia and Kenya, among host of others. The project will map these data work value chains to show how the planetary AI systems are made.
- i. In the context of an emerging AI and development agenda, the overall objective of the project is to develop grounded theoretical and analytical insights into the production networks of AI by placing data work at the centre of its enquiry.
- ii. To develop and apply innovative methodological tools combining multidisciplinary approaches from geography, anthropology, computational data science, etc in investigating data work.
- iii. To produce original empirical evidence showcasing different types of data work, its main actors, and implications on local labour markets and workers in the Global South.
- iv. To study data work for AI in India, Colombia, Kenya and Uganda.
- v. To co-produce findings from the Global South and adopt a diverse range of dissemination strategies across multiple audiences and platforms.
- vi. Build capacity among early career researchers across the Global South.