Summary
- In India, people are teaching AI robots everyday household tasks through videos of their daily work and in return they are being paid in dollars.
- Thousands of people in India are now engaged in training AI robots by recording videos of their daily activities in exchange for payment.
- The report states that with the fast growth of AI and robotics in India, a new employment sector has emerged where individuals record their everyday tasks to teach robots how to perform them in a human-like manner.
In India, people are teaching AI robots everyday household tasks through videos of their daily work and in return they are being paid in dollars.
According to an Al Jazeera report, artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the world of domestic and industrial jobs. Thousands of people in India are now engaged in training AI robots by recording videos of their daily activities in exchange for payment.
The report states that with the fast growth of AI and robotics in India, a new employment sector has emerged where individuals record their everyday tasks to teach robots how to perform them in a human-like manner.
Experts say that head-mounted cameras are being used to record daily activities. This data will serve as the foundation for future humanoid robots.
A 25-year-old woman from Chennai, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu named Naagireddy Sriramya Chandra, records videos of herself cutting mangoes, folding clothes and doing other household chores using a smartphone mounted on her head. She earns around 250 Indian rupees (a little over two dollars) per hour for these videos.
These recordings are called “egocentric data” captured from a human point of view so that AI-powered robots can understand and replicate human actions in the real world. A US- and India-based AI data company, Objectways supplies such videos to global technology firms.
According to company CEO Ravi Shankar, there is growing demand for videos of tasks such as folding clothes, making coffee, preparing sandwiches and other household work. He said that some tasks should be delegated to robots so that humans can focus on more important and creative activities.
According to AFP, in a textile factory in Karur, Tamil Nadu, workers were seen wearing head cameras and smart glasses while their movements were being recorded to train robotic systems.
Experts say India is becoming a global hub for data collection, processing, and annotation for artificial intelligence. Aditya Suri, a researcher at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements in Bengaluru, said that such data collection projects are expected to increase in the coming years.
On the other hand, experts and government bodies also warn that automation could affect certain traditional jobs. India’s government think tank NITI Aayog has cautioned that most discussions about AI’s impact are limited to white-collar jobs while far less attention is given to nearly 490 million informal sector workers.
A 55-year-old woman named Pooni who has been making flower garlands in Bengaluru for the past decade is among those whose daily activities are being recorded to train robots. She says that people in such professions may face difficulties in the future due to new technologies.
However, some AI industry experts disagree with the idea that robots will completely replace human jobs. Manish Agarwal from Bengaluru-based company Human Labs says that in the future, humans and robots will work as partners where, for example, a welder in India might supervise a welding robot located in another country.
Experts believe that these developments in artificial intelligence and robotics could bring major changes in the way people work, employment opportunities and industrial structures worldwide.
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