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India’s workers are training AI robots to take their jobs
TL;DR
Indian workers, like Nagireddy Sriramyachandra, are training AI robots for household tasks by filming their activities. They earn 250 rupees ($2.6) per hour for these recordings, contributing to the development of AI technology.
Key points
- Indian workers train AI robots for household tasks
- Nagireddy Sriramyachandra films her activities for AI training
- Workers earn 250 rupees ($2.6) per hour for their recordings
Mentioned in this story
Nagireddy SriramyachandraChennaiTamil Nadu
With a smartphone strapped to her head, Indian housewife Nagireddy Sriramyachandra films herself slicing mangoes to train artificial intelligence-powered robots to take on household tasks in the future.
Earning 250 rupees ($2.6) for one hour of video, her mundane recordings are invaluable for global tech companies teaching machines how to move like humans in the real world.
The 25-year-old is one of a growing army of thousands of AI system trainers in the world’s most populous country.
“Who else will give you 250 rupees an hour just for doing housework?” asked Sriramyachandra from her kitchen in Chennai, the capital city of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
“I may get a robot myself in the future,” she added.
Nagireddy Sriramyachandra wears a smartphone on her head as she records her actions through motion capture while slicing mangoes at her home in Chennai. [R Satish Babu/AFP]
AI chatbots and image generators crunch vast amounts of digital data, but building systems to navigate real-life environments is more challenging. Developers believe that feeding first-person footage, known as egocentric data, into specialised AI models will help robots copy human behaviour.
Some AI trainers work at home, others in factories or specialised studios – using video glasses, head-mounted cameras and motion sensors.
“It blares ‘hands not detected’ when I’m not recording properly,” said Sriramyachandra, who sends recordings via a special app to an AI data company, which has offices in India and the United States and lists Fortune 500 multinationals among its clients.
The humanoid robot market is booming, and as per projections, more than one billion will be in use by 2050, mostly for industrial and commercial purposes. India has positioned itself as a global middleman for the creation, processing and annotation of AI data.
“It’s likely that these data collection services will increase,” said digital labour expert Aditi Surie, from the Indian Institute for Human Settlements in Bengaluru, the southern city known as India’s Silicon Valley.
Q&A
How much do Indian workers earn for training AI robots?
Indian workers earn 250 rupees ($2.6) for one hour of video recording to train AI robots.
What tasks are AI robots being trained to perform in India?
AI robots are being trained to perform household tasks, such as slicing mangoes and other chores.
Where is Nagireddy Sriramyachandra based, and what is her role?
Nagireddy Sriramyachandra is based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and she trains AI robots by filming her household activities.
