“Underpaid Whizzkids Powering AI’s Genius Humorously Beseech Biden to Liberate Them from ‘Contemporary Bondage’”
“The Low-Paid Humans Behind AI’s Smarts Ask Biden to Free Them From ‘Modern Day Slavery’”
“In the US, digital contract work—notably driving for Uber or delivering for DoorDash—has replaced more stable occupations for a large swathe of the population. Over 57 million people, or 36 percent of the total workforce, are gig workers, according to a 2018 Gallup poll. Some forecasts predict that half of all US employees will engage in gig work in some form by 2027.”
And there you have it – the great American dream of the 21st century: Get an app, get a gig, get flexible hours. It’s almost poetic, isn’t it? A veritable ode to capitalism and independence. But let’s take a step back here, and examine the not-so-rosy aspects of this gig economy.
Let’s shed some light on the invisible workforce behind companies like Uber, DoorDash and others that are often portrayed as the harbingers of AI and futuristic technology. While they may indeed be technologically advanced, bear in mind that many of their operations are still reliant on good old human labor.
Contrary to popular belief, artificial intelligence is not headquartered in a secret, high-tech lab filled with robots. It’s rooted in the mundane, everyday tasks performed by real, sweating, and often underpaid human workers. This vast, dispersed army of gig workers inputs vast volumes of data that help shape and refine AI models.
As the article points out, these gig workers are typically underpaid and their work is often unstable. The glamour and allure of ‘flexible work hours’ often shroud a harsh reality: instability and job insecurity. It’s high time that the curtain was drawn back and the hard truths were acknowledged.
While everyone is gushing over AI’s potential, it’s essential not to overlook the issues faced by the human workforce making it all possible. Just as the industrial revolution had its dark side, so does the embrace of AI and the gig economy.
Let’s hope that forthcoming legislation in the Biden era will address these concerns and offer some remedies. But it’s a sign of the times when hope hinges on laws and regulations simply to secure dignified working conditions for a significant percentage of the American workforce.
Before applauding the next giant leap in artificial intelligence, it might be worth remembering the feet pounding the ground to make that leap possible. Better pay, worker rights, job security – these should not be luxury add-ons but the foundational building blocks of this tech-driven gig economy. After all, the technicolor dream of AI can’t come to fruition without the grayscale reality of human effort.