AI Boom Digital Sweatshops

Text on the meme

Behind the AI boom, an army of overseas workers in ‘digital sweatshops’ By Rebecca Tan and Regine Cabato August 28, 2023 at 2:00 a.m. EDT BRAWL FOR DIRI NO STUDENTS ALLOWED DURING CLASS TIME Internet cafes in the Philippines are now frequented by workers who sort and label data for artificial intelligence models. (Martin San Diego for The Washington Post)

What it means

A news article screenshot shows Filipino workers wearing headphones and working at computers in a cramped internet café. The joke comes from the contrast between the glamorous “AI boom” and the hidden labor force doing data-labeling work in so-called digital sweatshops, making it a reaction to AI hype, exploitative outsourcing, or surprisingly unglamorous tech infrastructure.

Who

Rebecca Tan Regine Cabato Martin San Diego

Objects

people at computers / люди за компьютерами internet café / интернет-кафе desktop monitors / настольные мониторы headphones / наушники computer keyboards / компьютерные клавиатуры computer mice / компьютерные мыши green LED lights / зелёные светодиоды black T-shirts / чёрные футболки concrete walls / бетонные стены electrical wires / электрические провода door / дверь wall sign / настенная табличка water bottles / бутылки с водой article headline / заголовок статьи article caption / подпись к статье