Raina Singh, a 24-year-old from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, found herself in a challenging job labeling content for artificial intelligence through a third-party contractor associated with major tech companies. Initially, her responsibilities involved reviewing brief messages and identifying spam or fraudulent language. However, just six months into her role, she was unexpectedly reassigned to a new project focused on an adult entertainment platform, where her duties included identifying and removing content related to child sexual abuse. Singh described the material as graphic and disturbing, but her complaints were met with indifference by her supervisor, who insisted that her work fell within the scope of data annotation as outlined in her contract. Experts from the Data Workers' Inquiry project caution that dealing with such distressing content can lead to severe psychological impacts. Women in this line of work, who may be required to view as many as 800 videos daily showcasing sexual violence, report experiencing emotional numbness, insomnia, and difficulties in forming intimate relationships. Despite the heavy toll, workers are compelled to sign non-disclosure agreements and are offered no psychological support. Nevertheless, for many women in rural India, earning between €250 and €400 monthly represents one of the few opportunities to break free from poverty. Is this just compensation for such demanding work? Some argue that individuals voluntarily choose these jobs, while others contend that it constitutes exploitation.
Informational material. 18+.
