AI versus Marshy - Digital Sweatshops

I’ve been talking about the hype surrounding AI in recent weeks, and I want to dive deeper into one aspect that’s been on my mind - the way we’re using humans to moderate online content. This practice, often referred to as digital sweatshops, raises some uncomfortable questions about the ethics of our tech industry. Let’s take a closer look at what’s going on. These sorts of approaches were also undertaken by Facebook - while I worked there. Moderation was done by humans from low-income countries. They were paid to cycle through horrific content and approve/reject reporting of graphic material on Facebook. It’s not that gross stuff isn’t posted on these platforms - its that an army of people are policing it so we can continue scrolling through puppy and baby announcement photos. The main argument for these practices seems to be: we’re paying better rates than what they can get elsewhere in the market. The main argument against it: this is exploitative . I don’t know what the solution is - but I do believe dramatic societal change will eventually happen as these gaps continue becoming more evident. – Thanks for reading! I love that this newsletter is growing and want to continue to share, filter, and opine on this stuff because you’ve taken an interest. If you’ve got even more interest - you can subscribe to Ben’s Bites - this referral link helps me too. A big warning though - it’s daily Mon-Fri and packed with information. I should know, because I was looking at his landing page this week and saw my own testimonial on the page! ​ I’m practically famous! Thanks 🙏🏻 -Marshy aka Luke M ​ Originally appeared in newsletter : AI versus Marshy #11: hype curves, individual brainstorming, + bad hustle