A new form of online work is emerging around the world, offering people a new way to earn dollars from home.
While the rapid development of artificial intelligence is raising questions about the future of millions of jobs worldwide, the technology is also creating new income opportunities for ordinary people.
In India, thousands of individuals are now sitting in their homes, factories, and specialised studios, creating videos that are used to teach future AI-powered robots how to perform tasks in a human-like manner.
According to a report by Al Jazeera, 25-year-old Nagireddy Sree Ramya Chandra from the southern Indian city of Chennai is among those recording videos to train AI systems from home.
She straps a smartphone to her head and films herself performing everyday household tasks. These activities include cutting mangoes, carrying out routine kitchen work, and other domestic chores.
In return for these videos, she is paid 250 Indian rupees (approximately 731 Pakistani rupees or about $2.6) for one hour of recording.
Although these videos may appear ordinary, they are considered highly valuable data for global technology companies because they help AI-powered robots learn human movements and behaviours.
Experts say that while AI chatbots and image generators already learn from the vast amount of digital data available on the internet, training robots that can move around and work in the real world is a much more complex process.
For this purpose, so-called “egocentric data”, videos recorded from a human’s point of view, is being collected so that robots can imitate human behaviour and actions.
According to the report, some people perform this work from home, while others record data in factories or specialised centres using video glasses, head-mounted cameras, and motion sensors.
These recordings are later sent to AI data companies through specialised applications.
Some of these companies maintain offices in both India and the United States, and their clients include major Fortune 500 multinational corporations.
Experts associated with the AI industry say that the global market for humanoid robots is expanding rapidly.
Estimates suggest that more than one billion robots will be in use by 2050, with most of them working for industrial and commercial purposes.
As a result, demand for the data required to train AI models is expected to continue growing.
Aditi Surie, a digital labour expert at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements, says the need for such data-collection work could increase further in the future.
She explained that as AI systems become more sophisticated, they will require more data related to real human activities.
Experts say that along with this new earning opportunity, some concerns also exist.
In a report, India’s government think tank NITI Aayog warned that most discussions about artificial intelligence focus on the potential loss of white-collar or office jobs, while the impact on millions of workers in the informal sector receives far less attention.
According to the report, 55-year-old Pooni, who has been making flower garlands at a roadside stall in Bengaluru for the past decade, is among those who recorded videos of their activities for AI training.
She said future generations engaged in similar work may face difficulties because the very skills they possess are now being taught to robots.
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