> “extracts low-wage labor from data workers in the Global South”

Jeez. The outrage-bait is dripping off of this sentence. Paying above the prevailing wage in a town for simple computer work, adding money to the local economy = extracting low-wage labor. It’s phrased like it’s sticking a syringe into Bangladesh and stealing their blood.

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ChadNauseam 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

It the Copenhagen theory of ethics. If an AI company had no operations at all in the global south, no one would blame them for the global south's position. But if they hire anyone there, it doesn't matter if they're objectively improving conditions there, the fact that they've interacted at all means that they're responsible all the bad parts about it.

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vrganj 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

It's not like there's only two options.

How about they just don't treat their workers in the Global South as lesser than ones in rich countries, for starters?

> objectively improving conditions there

Which conditions specifically? The very act of picking conditions and what constitutes an improvement introduces subjectivity already.

	▲	tristor 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		> How about they just don't treat their workers in the Global South as lesser than ones in rich countries, for starters? When you say "lesser", isn't this just a question of regional pay disparity? Are you saying companies should be obligated to pay the same compensation in every region? Do you know how badly that would destroy the economies in the Global South?

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madaxe_again 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

But if they don’t hire anyone there they’re being exclusionary and protectionist, possibly imperialist, maybe even racist.

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vrganj 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Paying below the value that labor creates and pocketing the difference = extraction or exploitation.

The fact that other people in that town are also being exploited doesn't make it any better.

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astrange 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Foreign companies suddenly increasing local wage levels isn't popular with local governments because it means all the local essential workers, doctors, government employees etc quit their jobs to work for the foreign company.

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nh23423fefe 32 minutes ago | parent | prev | next [-]

oh you wrote "=" so its true?

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madaxe_again 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

What you’ve just described there is capitalism, and the capture of crystallised labour-time by the capital classes.

Thing is, we tried the alternative. Quite a few times. The outcomes were considerably worse for everyone than capitalist economies.

	▲	reliabilityguy 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Even in Soviet Russia the pay for the same job depended on the location. So, not exactly a capitalist invention.