UK Media: Indian Workers Forced to Wear Cameras Recording Movements, Data Used to Train Robots Without Compensation
In a garment factory on the outskirts of Delhi, 32-year-old worker Lalita was required to wear a camera on her forehead while working, recording every hand movement she made while sewing shirts. Management never explained why. These videos, after being cleaned and annotated, are sold to robotics companies to train humanoid robots that may one day replace humans.
The Indian company collecting such data, EgoLab, counts major corporations like Tesla among its clients. Tesla CEO Musk once predicted that about 80% of his company’s future value will come from humanoid robot operations.
India currently holds approximately 35% of the global data labeling market, with around 60% of its revenue coming from American clients. In terms of cost, data collection in the U.S. averages about $30 per hour, whereas in India it is less than one-sixth of that amount.
An investigation found that in six factories, workers wearing devices received no additional pay for providing valuable data. Some companies simultaneously used the footage for productivity monitoring—tracking workers' "idle" time, even recording social interactions between employees—sparking controversies over privacy and labor rights.
Researchers point out that once workers’ skills and physical movements are transformed into tradable data assets, their long-term value far exceeds a single day's wage. However, current labor systems lack mechanisms to ensure workers share in the benefits derived from this data.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1868887575674896/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) alone.