ChatGPT's power fueled by contractors earning $15/hour

Throughout history, the tech industry has been built on the backs of lower-skilled, lower-paid workers. From punch-card operators of the past to modern-day contract workers who train AI models, the industry's dependency on this workforce is nothing new. One such worker is Alexej Savreux, an AI trainer who is part of a hidden army of contract workers responsible for the development of AI systems.

Savreux and his fellow contractors play a crucial but often overlooked role in the development of cutting-edge products like ChatGPT, training AI models to analyze data and generate compelling text and images. Despite their significant contributions, they receive compensation starting at $15 per hour, without any benefits. These contractors have dedicated countless hours to improving ChatGPT's responses by training OpenAI's systems, fulfilling an urgent and continuous need for the company and its competitors.

However, AI contract workers often remain unnoticed, overshadowed by the allure of technological advancements in the AI field. The Partnership on AI's Sonam Jindal highlights this oversight, noting that the discourse around AI tends to focus on congratulatory aspects while missing the reliance on a vast human workforce.

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The emerging AI industry follows a similar pattern to tech empires of the past, adopting an unsteady, on-demand nature of work. Contract workers are engaged through written contracts, either directly by companies or via specialized third-party vendors. Health insurance and benefits are often absent, reducing costs for tech companies. Additionally, the work is typically anonymous, with tech startup executives and researchers receiving the credit. The Partnership on AI warned of an upcoming surge in demand for "data enrichment work" and recommended fair compensation and improved practices.

Jindal emphasizes the importance of recognizing and respecting the contributions of contract workers, suggesting that this relatively new job created by AI has the potential to become a high-quality occupation, where workers are valued for their contributions. As the demand for AI contract work continues to rise, some workers are advocating for better conditions. In Nairobi, Kenya, more than 150 individuals who have worked on AI for companies like Facebook, TikTok, and ChatGPT voted to form a union, citing low pay and the mental toll of the work. The rights and well-being of AI contract workers have become a subject of discussion as the industry evolves.