The Hidden Workforce Behind Artificial Intelligence Revealed
In a recent collaboration between New York and the Verge, journalist Josh Dzieza uncovers a fascinating and surprising aspect of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry. While AI models have been making headlines for their impressive capabilities, there is a hidden workforce that plays a crucial role in their development – the “annotators.”
These annotators are millions of people around the world who work for generally low pay, dedicating their time to monotonous tasks such as labeling photos of clothes. Their work is essential in feeding AI models with vast amounts of data, enabling them to become smarter and more accurate. As Dzieza explains, “even the most impressive AI system has people behind it – huge numbers of people labeling data to train it and clarifying data when it gets confused.”
This global industry of annotators operates in a culture of secrecy. They work for companies that sell this data to big players in the AI field, often at a steep price. As a result, annotators are usually forbidden from discussing their work, and they are often kept in the dark about the bigger picture. Scale AI, a data vendor in Silicon Valley, is one of the major players in this industry.
The lack of transparency surrounding the work of annotators raises concerns about the information shaping AI systems’ behavior. Little is known about the individuals who contribute to training these models, further deepening the mystery behind AI development. Dzieza interviewed two dozen annotators from around the world to shed light on their experiences. In fact, he even worked as an annotator himself to gain a comprehensive understanding of their role.
Dzieza’s investigation reveals a mind-bending aspect of the human-machine feedback loop. He describes how AI models like ChatGPT appear so human-like because they were trained by an AI that mimicked humans who were rating an AI that mimicked humans pretending to be a better version of an AI trained on human writing. This complex process highlights the intricate layers of AI development and the significant role played by annotators.
The full story by Josh Dzieza is highly recommended for those interested in delving deeper into the world of AI and the hidden workforce that fuels its progress. It serves as a reminder that behind the impressive capabilities of AI models, there are countless individuals toiling away in the shadows, shaping the future of artificial intelligence.
