The AI revolution is widely praised for its seemingly endless possibilities of automation. However, human input is still essential to drive these learning systems. An NBC News article recently revealed that OpenAI, the startup behind the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT, relies heavily on human employees for data labeling. Unfortunately, these contractors are only paid a minimum wage of $15 per hour (13.68 euros).
Data labeling is a critical process of labeling specific items in a data set, be it visual images or text, to help machines identify them independently. This task is essential when training machine learning models, yet it is often overlooked. Without people labeling data, there would be no ChatGPT or other AI language systems.
OpenAI outsources to countries with limited labor laws and low wages to cut costs, despite its self-declared commitment to ethical AI supply chains. As AI continues to evolve and become ubiquitous, it is essential to remember that technology relies on human input. The people responsible for labeling data and other vital tasks should be fairly compensated for their contribution to this fast-growing industry. Companies like OpenAI have the responsibility to prioritize the well-being and fair compensation of their human employees, who play a role in building and refining the AI systems that have the potential to shape our future.
