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For years, Amazon has been at the forefront of technological innovation, promising to revolutionize the retail industry with its cutting-edge ‘Just Walk Out’ technology.
This AI-powered system, which allowed customers to simply pick up their items and leave the store without going through a traditional checkout process, was hailed as a game-changer in the world of grocery shopping. The promise of a seamless, cashier-less shopping experience appealed to consumers who valued convenience and efficiency above all else.
However, a recent report by The Information has revealed a startling truth: the ‘Just Walk Out’ technology was not as autonomous as it seemed. In fact, the system was relying on a vast network of low-paid workers in India, who were tasked with monitoring the cameras and sensors installed in Amazon Fresh stores, effectively acting as remote cashiers.
The invisible workforce
According to the report, Amazon had deployed over 1,000 workers in India to support the ‘Just Walk Out’ system. These workers were responsible for tracking the items customers took from the shelves, and then processing the transactions, all while simultaneously training the algorithm to become more accurate.
This revelation sheds light on the darker side of the AI revolution, where the promise of technological advancement is often built on the backs of a hidden workforce, toiling away for meager wages in developing countries.
The practice of leveraging low-paid workers to train and maintain AI systems is not limited to Amazon, either. In fact, it is a widespread phenomenon across the tech industry, with companies like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft all employing similar tactics.
As Wired reported, millions of crowdsourced workers around the world are being hired by these tech giants to label images, transcribe audio, and perform other data-related tasks that feed into the algorithms powering AI models.
These workers, often located in places like India, the Philippines, Venezuela, and East Africa, are paid just a few pennies to a dollar per day for their labor.
The consequences of technological progress
The discontinuation of Amazon’s ‘Walk Out’ technology, after an 18-month trial period, raises important questions about the sustainability and ethics of such innovations.
While the promise of a seamless, cashier-less shopping experience may have appealed to customers, the hidden reality of the human labor required to make it work highlights the complex trade-offs involved in the pursuit of technological progress.
Amazon’s decision to phase out the ‘Just Walk Out’ feature is reportedly due to the high costs and time-consuming nature of the operation. However, this move does little to address the underlying issues of worker exploitation and the perpetuation of global economic disparities.
The data collection and labeling market, which is expected to grow to $17.1 billion by 2030, represents a lucrative opportunity for tech companies to outsource labor-intensive tasks to the developing world. But as this industry expands, so too does the potential for the continued exploitation of vulnerable populations.
The workers in India, who were paid a mere pittance to perform the invisible labor that powered Amazon’s AI system, are just the tip of the iceberg. Across the globe, millions of people are being drawn into the gig economy, where they are tasked with performing menial, repetitive work for the benefit of tech giants and their shareholders.
