| ▲ | megaloblasto 2 days ago |
| This is a nice article but it fails to mention something important. Beyond the computer magic that makes neural networks so powerful, there is a massive human effort, often from people in Sub-Saharan Africa, that spend all day labeling images, text, audio, etc for the major AI companies [1]. These workers are often exploited and treated as expendable. It's not all just math. Real people are what make this work. [1] https://www.theverge.com/features/23764584/ai-artificial-int... |
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| ▲ | runjake 2 days ago | parent | next [-] |
| > These workers are often exploited and treated as expendable. So, common ground with a lot of Hacker News audience? Don't take me too seriously here, and not to excuse anything but what would these people be doing if they weren't data labeling? How would they be treated differently? Presumably, they'd be working for some other multinational, because overall their quality of living is better than working at whatever other local industry exists? The data labeling job itself strikes me as something dystopian. As if we're the work mules for our AI overlords. |
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| ▲ | megaloblasto 2 days ago | parent [-] | | It definitely sounds like you're trying to excuse the labor exploitation of multinational corporations. I was just pointing out that the network doesn't figure out how to classify things without a massive human undertaking. Are you suggesting that if something is common across the globe then we shouldn't complain about it? | | |
| ▲ | runjake 2 days ago | parent | next [-] | | > It definitely sounds like you're trying to excuse the labor exploitation of multinational corporations. That was not my intent. I probably worded my thoughts poorly. Indeed, though I am far more advantaged than those data laborers I’m feeling a bit exploited myself lately. > Are you suggesting that if something is common across the globe then we shouldn't complain about it? No. I guess the crux of my comment is what would they be doing for income otherwise? And which would they choose, given the fact they’re being exploited. | |
| ▲ | jpc0 2 days ago | parent | prev [-] | | Sometimes the choice is not between good and evil, but between evil and less evil. We should be happy less evil is an option at times while hoping for good. | | |
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| ▲ | Noumenon72 2 days ago | parent | prev [-] |
| If someone has a simple task to do and has scoured the entire globe to find people who can do this task without being pulled away from more important work, they should be praised. Paying Americans prevailing wage for this would be simpler but it would hurt both America and Sub-Saharan Africa. |
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| ▲ | megaloblasto 2 days ago | parent [-] | | The implicit idea in your comment that there is no important work in low GDP countries reminds me of this quote: "I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops" I think you are giving too much credit to billion dollar companies that really just want to milk as much labor from poor countries as they can. | | |
| ▲ | Noumenon72 5 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | I feel that "billion dollar companies wanting to milk as much labor from poor countries as they can" is one of the only forces in the world that will actually take the time to go out and look for African Einsteins instead of just giving the jobs to their friends and neighbors. It doesn't follow that because I said you can find people without important work in low-GDP countries, that there is no important work there. If you've ever been in one though, there are always people whose job seems to be "watching a single goat" and would be much better off training AIs to identify cats. | |
| ▲ | jpc0 2 days ago | parent | prev [-] | | You are also assuming that those people would otherwise be doing something that would justify that. Just like a college student working at McDs to get by, the same could apply here. Cost of living is not equal. I'm not siding with either of you to be clear, just a different perspective. I feel both points are valid and without more information both are also irrefutable |
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