Alphabet, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft are among big tech firms being pressed over their use of ghost labour performing poorly paid work that aids their use of artificial intelligence.
Business Standard reports that US Lawmakers have quizzed nine companies on the millions of data workers whose tasks include screening images, addressing harmful chatbot comments and images, and rating responses .
“Despite the essential nature of this work, millions of data workers around the world perform these stressful tasks under constant surveillance, with low wages and no benefits,” Business-standard.com reports the US lawmakers saying.
US reports say the probe was initiated by Massachusetts representative Ed Markey and Washington representative Pramila Jayapal who wrote to nine companies including Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and IBM.
The existence of tech ghost workforces is not new but it’s believed numbers have swollen following the launch of Generative AI. Big tech firms are understood to have employed large numbers of these workers through contractors to monitor and optimise AI interactions.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg
Concern about big tech labour practices came as tech tycoons gathered at Washington’s Capitol Hill to discuss AI regulation at a summit organised by US Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer.
They included Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and X owner Elon Musk who said he believed there was some chance “above zero” of AI being a risk to civilisation. He supported a US federal agency to oversee AI, he told NBC.
“The consequences of AI going wrong are severe so we have to be proactive rather than reactive,” Musk told awaiting media. ““There is some chance that is above zero that AI will kill us all. I think it’s low. But if there’s some chance, I think we should also consider the fragility of human civilization.”
Mr Zuckerberg posted his speech to the forum on a blog post. “I agree that Congress should engage with AI to support innovation and safeguards,” he wrote. “This is an emerging technology, there are important equities to balance here, and the government is ultimately responsible for that.
“While the conversation is mostly focused on generative AI right now, we shouldn’t lose sight of the broader progress across computer vision, natural language processing, robotics, and more, which will also impact society.
“We think policymakers, academics, civil society and industry should all work together to minimize the potential risks of this new technology, but also to maximize the potential benefits. If you believe this generation of AI tools is a meaningful step forward, then it’s important not to undervalue the potential upside.”
