Hey, this is fucked up: Meta, OpenAI (ChatGPT), and Remotasks (possibly more companies?) are using exploitative labor in Africa to train their AI. People are paid pennies to label disturbing images in abusive work environments. So when it isn't decimating our water supply, it's traumatizing humans.
I see a lot of people talk about the environmental costs of AI. I don't see as much about the human exploitation behind it.
Training AI takes heavy toll on Kenyans working for $2 an hour | 60 Minutes
YouTube video by 60 Minutes
youtu.be
December 5, 2024 at 12:53 AM
Hey, this is fucked up: Meta, OpenAI (ChatGPT), and Remotasks (possibly more companies?) are using exploitative labor in Africa to train their AI. People are paid pennies to label disturbing images in abusive work environments. So when it isn't decimating our water supply, it's traumatizing humans.
“Scale AI’s own labor practices are horrid enough. But AFP reports that one Scale AI subsidiary, Remotasks, is taking it a step further: paying data labelers roughly one US cent for every task they finish, which can take hours. It’s a system Kanyugi compared to ‘modern slavery.’”
October 19, 2025 at 2:52 PM
“Scale AI’s own labor practices are horrid enough. But AFP reports that one Scale AI subsidiary, Remotasks, is taking it a step further: paying data labelers roughly one US cent for every task they finish, which can take hours. It’s a system Kanyugi compared to ‘modern slavery.’”
The precarity is not new. Data workers talked about how Remotasks pulled out of Africa with no warning years ago.
restofworld.org/2024/scale-a...
restofworld.org/2024/scale-a...
March 12, 2026 at 2:44 PM
The precarity is not new. Data workers talked about how Remotasks pulled out of Africa with no warning years ago.
restofworld.org/2024/scale-a...
restofworld.org/2024/scale-a...
Another one: Remotasks Plus
September 24, 2026 at 10:29 AM
Another one: Remotasks Plus
In which a reporter at The Verge goes undercover, Barbara Ehrenreich style, to explore data labeling gig work: https://www.theverge.com/features/23764584/ai-artificial-intelligence-data-notation-labor-scale-surge-remotasks-openai-chatbots
Inside the AI Factory
How many humans does it take to make tech seem human? Millions.
www.theverge.com
June 20, 2023 at 3:51 PM
In which a reporter at The Verge goes undercover, Barbara Ehrenreich style, to explore data labeling gig work: https://www.theverge.com/features/23764584/ai-artificial-intelligence-data-notation-labor-scale-surge-remotasks-openai-chatbots
Remotasks is operated by Scale AI and there is a lot more that folks should know about this company!
Follow folks like @milamiceli.bsky.social @krystalkauffman.bsky.social @julianposada.bsky.social for more on labor and data work.
@wagatwe.com
bsky.app/profile/tnew...
Follow folks like @milamiceli.bsky.social @krystalkauffman.bsky.social @julianposada.bsky.social for more on labor and data work.
@wagatwe.com
bsky.app/profile/tnew...
An ongoing thread about Scale AI:
December 5, 2024 at 1:48 AM
Remotasks is operated by Scale AI and there is a lot more that folks should know about this company!
Follow folks like @milamiceli.bsky.social @krystalkauffman.bsky.social @julianposada.bsky.social for more on labor and data work.
@wagatwe.com
bsky.app/profile/tnew...
Follow folks like @milamiceli.bsky.social @krystalkauffman.bsky.social @julianposada.bsky.social for more on labor and data work.
@wagatwe.com
bsky.app/profile/tnew...
There's also another bad side of AI not mentioned in the article: the hundreds of thousands of people that worked in slave-like conditions doing data labelling for AI companies, the majority from Venezuela, Kenya and Nepal working for Appen, Remotasks, Scale and CloudFactory.
February 5, 2026 at 11:12 AM
There's also another bad side of AI not mentioned in the article: the hundreds of thousands of people that worked in slave-like conditions doing data labelling for AI companies, the majority from Venezuela, Kenya and Nepal working for Appen, Remotasks, Scale and CloudFactory.
June 20, 2023 at 4:55 PM
AI의 발전은 사실 착취에 기반하고 있다. 학습 데이터를 만드는 작업의 핵심인 '라벨링'은 저소득 국가의 저임금 노동으로 채워져 있는 것.
news.hada.io/topic?id=15898
news.hada.io/topic?id=15898
19조 기업 가치 AI 데이터 라벨링 회사 Scale AI의 이면. 아프리카의 데이터 라벨 | GeekNews
AI 시스템을 만들려면 사람이 직접 데이터에 라벨을 붙여야 해요. 이 일을 하는 숨겨진 노동자들을 "주석 달기 작업자"라고 불러요.이 작업자들은 주로 개발도상국에 있고, Remotasks 같은 플랫폼에서 일해요. 자율주행차용 이미지부터 고객 서비스 통화의 감정까지 다양한 것에 라벨을 붙이죠.이 일은 대부분 작은 조각으로 나뉘어 있어서, 작업자들은 자기가 하
news.hada.io
July 18, 2024 at 1:11 PM
AI의 발전은 사실 착취에 기반하고 있다. 학습 데이터를 만드는 작업의 핵심인 '라벨링'은 저소득 국가의 저임금 노동으로 채워져 있는 것.
news.hada.io/topic?id=15898
news.hada.io/topic?id=15898
Also, Remotasks is an excellent side gig
February 15, 2024 at 8:04 PM
Also, Remotasks is an excellent side gig
one of the things I love about josh dzieza's work is how unassumingly intellectual it is: a casual reference to david graeber, a funny aside about ontology of AI annotation https://www.theverge.com/features/23764584/ai-artificial-intelligence-data-notation-labor-scale-surge-remotasks-openai-chatbots
Inside the AI Factory
How many humans does it take to make tech seem human? Millions.
www.theverge.com
June 20, 2023 at 3:15 PM
one of the things I love about josh dzieza's work is how unassumingly intellectual it is: a casual reference to david graeber, a funny aside about ontology of AI annotation https://www.theverge.com/features/23764584/ai-artificial-intelligence-data-notation-labor-scale-surge-remotasks-openai-chatbots
Our most ambitious AI reporting to date—a deep dive on the millions of human beings that make AI seem sorta human https://www.theverge.com/features/23764584/ai-artificial-intelligence-data-notation-labor-scale-surge-remotasks-openai-chatbots
Inside the AI Factory
How many humans does it take to make tech seem human? Millions.
www.theverge.com
June 20, 2023 at 3:15 PM
Our most ambitious AI reporting to date—a deep dive on the millions of human beings that make AI seem sorta human https://www.theverge.com/features/23764584/ai-artificial-intelligence-data-notation-labor-scale-surge-remotasks-openai-chatbots
"AFP reports that one Scale AI subsidiary, Remotasks, is taking it a step further: paying data labelers roughly one US cent for every task they finish, which can take hours. It’s a system Kanyugi compared to “modern slavery.”"
The AI Industry Is Traumatizing Desperate Contractors in the Developing World for Pennies
AI is propped up by a global sweat shop operation, where exploited workers polish the software for wealthy corporations in the west.
futurism.com
October 21, 2025 at 6:33 AM
"AFP reports that one Scale AI subsidiary, Remotasks, is taking it a step further: paying data labelers roughly one US cent for every task they finish, which can take hours. It’s a system Kanyugi compared to “modern slavery.”"
I use that remotasks thingy for data entry money on the side, it's a good little activity for when you're bored and wants some cash
September 5, 2023 at 11:42 AM
I use that remotasks thingy for data entry money on the side, it's a good little activity for when you're bored and wants some cash
June 20, 2023 at 4:49 PM
AI isn’t all that artificial. Junbee in the Philippines, for instance, spends all day annotating data to “teach” AI what, for instance, avocado toast looks like.
Despite contributing to billion-dollar AI systems, Junbee makes less than minimum wage through Remotasks, a subsidiary of Scale AI.
Despite contributing to billion-dollar AI systems, Junbee makes less than minimum wage through Remotasks, a subsidiary of Scale AI.
June 30, 2026 at 6:12 PM
AI isn’t all that artificial. Junbee in the Philippines, for instance, spends all day annotating data to “teach” AI what, for instance, avocado toast looks like.
Despite contributing to billion-dollar AI systems, Junbee makes less than minimum wage through Remotasks, a subsidiary of Scale AI.
Despite contributing to billion-dollar AI systems, Junbee makes less than minimum wage through Remotasks, a subsidiary of Scale AI.
SF-based AI training company Scale AI abruptly cut off service for its workers in several countries: “As I speak, I am wondering what the children will have for dinner because I have no money”
restofworld.org/2024/scale-a...
restofworld.org/2024/scale-a...
Scale AI’s Remotasks platform is dropping whole countries without explanation
Workers in Kenya, Nigeria, and Pakistan were booted off the AI-training service earlier this month.
restofworld.org
March 29, 2024 at 5:13 PM
SF-based AI training company Scale AI abruptly cut off service for its workers in several countries: “As I speak, I am wondering what the children will have for dinner because I have no money”
restofworld.org/2024/scale-a...
restofworld.org/2024/scale-a...
There are two million people in the Philippines that work in "crowdwork", aka internet gigs, not training AI. Remotasks (240k global "users", but not fulltime, just open accounts) is the main platform that AI companies use, but only part of Remotask's work is AI.
August 30, 2023 at 5:05 PM
There are two million people in the Philippines that work in "crowdwork", aka internet gigs, not training AI. Remotasks (240k global "users", but not fulltime, just open accounts) is the main platform that AI companies use, but only part of Remotask's work is AI.
The driverless car industry harms workers. When labor is outsourced and hidden away, employees are often poorly paid, non-union, and subject to abuse.
Think workers should be treated with dignity and respect? Ride a bus.
Think workers should be treated with dignity and respect? Ride a bus.
January 19, 2026 at 4:40 PM
The driverless car industry harms workers. When labor is outsourced and hidden away, employees are often poorly paid, non-union, and subject to abuse.
Think workers should be treated with dignity and respect? Ride a bus.
Think workers should be treated with dignity and respect? Ride a bus.
Work from home and help eradicate the job you love!
An exciting opportunity to help people respect and pay you even less!
An exciting opportunity to help people respect and pay you even less!
January 17, 2024 at 10:11 AM
Work from home and help eradicate the job you love!
An exciting opportunity to help people respect and pay you even less!
An exciting opportunity to help people respect and pay you even less!
Meta and Scale AI built their empire on the backs of data workers. As Mophat Okinyi reported @dataworkersinquiry.bsky.social, when Scale's subsidiary Remotasks shut down operations in Kenya, it left thousands of workers with nothing. Some never received their final pay.
data-workers.org/mophat/
data-workers.org/mophat/
Impact of Remotasks’ Closure on Kenyan Workers, by Mophat Okinyi
In March 2024, Remotasks shut down thousands of accounts of data workers in African countries. This collection of interviews highlights the struggles of these workers and discusses structural discrimi...
data-workers.org
June 14, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Meta and Scale AI built their empire on the backs of data workers. As Mophat Okinyi reported @dataworkersinquiry.bsky.social, when Scale's subsidiary Remotasks shut down operations in Kenya, it left thousands of workers with nothing. Some never received their final pay.
data-workers.org/mophat/
data-workers.org/mophat/
Remotasks proudly advertizes their total payout to workers: $15M.
With an average of $5 paid per day per user, 52wk/yr, 40h/wk, that equates to 1442 full-time jobs.
With an average of $5 paid per day per user, 52wk/yr, 40h/wk, that equates to 1442 full-time jobs.
August 30, 2023 at 5:06 PM
Remotasks proudly advertizes their total payout to workers: $15M.
With an average of $5 paid per day per user, 52wk/yr, 40h/wk, that equates to 1442 full-time jobs.
With an average of $5 paid per day per user, 52wk/yr, 40h/wk, that equates to 1442 full-time jobs.