Digital sweatshops of the Global South
So, where does this hidden labor take place? According to Casilli’s research, workers are in countries including Kenya, India, the Philippines, and Madagascar — regions with high levels of digital literacy, access to English- or French-speaking workers, and little in the way of labor protection or union representation.
Behind most of today’s AI models lies the labor of workers in the Global South, who are exposed to disturbing content and poor working conditions. This reality raises urgent questions about the transparency and ethics of AI development.
Picture working 10-hour days tagging distressing images to train an AI model — and getting paid not in money, but in a kilogram of sugar. This isn’t dystopian fiction, but reality for some of the workers behind today’s most advanced artificial intelligence.
While the development of AI is undoubtedly enhancing the lives of many by streamlining processes and offering efficient solutions, it also raises a pressing question: What is the true cost of AI, and who is paying for it?
Antonio Casilli, Professor of Sociology at Télécom Paris and Founder of DipLab, addressed this question during an Esade seminar on the promises and perils of the digitalization of work. The event was part of the kick-off for the DigitalWORK research project, which explores how digital technologies are transforming work and promoting fair, equitable and transparent labor conditions, with Anna Ginès i Fabrellas and Raquel Serrano Olivares (Universitat de Barcelona) as principal investigators.
AI isn’t autonomous, it’s human-powered
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