Data Workers' Inquiry
The Data Workers’ Inquiry is a community-based research project in which data workers conduct research in their workplaces. The findings serve as a repository and resource for researchers, journalists, and policymakers seeking first-hand accounts of data work, as well as for other data workers.
Background
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed industries and reshaped the global economy, promising unprecedented efficiency, innovation, and economic growth. AI tools are being released every day and their transformational capabilities are plastered on headlines everywhere.
However, behind the glossy veneer of AI-powered applications and services lies a hidden workforce of data workers who form the backbone of this technological revolution. These workers, often located in the Global South, are tasked with the labor-intensive and emotionally taxing work of data annotation, content moderation, and other forms of data processing that enable AI systems to function.
Despite their critical role in the development and maintenance of AI, data workers are often rendered invisible, their contributions unrecognized, and their well-being overlooked. This is by design, and not accidental. So far, it has been common practice to speak and research about data workers, instead of speaking or researching with them.
Objective
In The Data Workers’ Inquiry, data workers from all over the world take center stage in the telling of their own stories and report on their workplaces. It is a groundbreaking research project that aims to shed light on the often-invisible experiences and challenges faced by the workers who power the world of artificial intelligence (AI).
Methods
The team of researchers led by Dr. Miceli, Adio Dinika, Krystal Kauffmann, Camilla Wagner, and Laurenz Sachenbacher, has brought together 15 co-researchers from Venezuela, Kenya, Syria, and Germany and employment contexts, including content moderators and data annotators working for various outsourcing companies and platforms. Drawing inspiration from Marx's 1880 “Workers Inquiry”, the Data Workers Inquiry employs a participatory action research (PAR) methodology, which emphasizes the collaboration between researchers and members of directly affected communities to understand and change problematic situations, focusing on the participation of those often marginalized or excluded from decision-making processes.
Outcomes and Prospects
As community researchers, the data workers have produced a compelling array of firsthand accounts and creative outputs that illuminate the human toll of data work – from documentaries, to magazines, podcasts, essays and animations. They present a multifaceted view of the challenges faced by data workers, ranging from exploitation and precarity to the psychological impact of their labor. These accounts show how outsourcing companies prey on vulnerable populations, such as refugees, offering them work with little compensation. It is a rare glimpse into the lives of those who play a crucial role in the development and maintenance of AI technologies.
The findings of the Data Workers' Inquiry are collected on the website data-workers.org and serve as a repository and resource for researchers, journalists, and policymakers seeking first-hand accounts of data work, as well as for other data workers looking to learn about shared struggles and resistance strategies.
The collection of accounts is also a powerful call to action, urging us to confront the systemic issues that perpetuate the exploitation and marginalization of data workers and to work towards a future in which their rights and well-being are protected and respected. By amplifying the voices of these important workers and fostering a collaborative, worker-centered approach to research, the project aims to drive meaningful change in the AI industry and beyond.
