International Labour Organization Examines Data Work in AI's Supply Chain
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is drawing attention to the often-overlooked global workforce involved in data-related tasks that underpin modern artificial intelligence (AI). This workforce operates under challenging and largely invisible working conditions, performing large volumes of data processing. Alex Taylor, a keynote speaker at the ninth annual conference of the International Network on Digital Labour (INDL-9) held at the ILO in Geneva, is examining the specific nature of this data work. Taylor's presentation focuses on how human judgments and subjectivities are broken down, organized, and incorporated into datasets and AI models. The session aims to connect these everyday forms of labor to the broader political and economic structures that support AI supply chains. It also seeks to identify the new combinations of research and expertise required to better understand the implications of these working conditions for both workers and society at large.
