Morgana D'AlmeidaJan 19, 2023
Annalee Newitz 🍜
This tracks. OpenAI used underpaid gig workers in Kenya to make ChatGPT function as advertised. And they forced those workers to look at and classify abusive content all day. So weird how the new miracle tech turned out to be the old capitalist abuse of labor trick.
https://time.com/6247678/openai-chatgpt-kenya-workers/
Exclusive: OpenAI Used Kenyan Workers on Less Than $2 Per Hour to Make ChatGPT Less Toxic

A TIME investigation reveals the poor conditions faced by the workers who made ChatGPT possible

Time
Jan 19, 2023 at 4:05amWeb
Show threadHilary B. Bisenieks 🇱🇻 🏳️‍⚧️Jan 19, 2023
@annaleen i wish i was at all surprised
Show threadTracingVRL by A.J. FishJan 19, 2023
@annaleen Lots of rah-rah AI stories out there
Show threadP StewartJan 19, 2023
@tracingcovid @annaleen At this point I'm curious as to the percentage of those stories written by the chatbots themselves, given how standardized they've gotten...
Show threadJoshJan 19, 2023
@tracingcovid @annaleen What a quote. How is "better art" defined exactly? 🤔😬
Show threadAnnalee Newitz 🍜Jan 19, 2023
@krnlg @tracingcovid obviously if you're measuring in units of "wow" you can just do a wow benchmark and see that it has twice as much as human art.
Show threadTracingVRL by A.J. FishJan 19, 2023
@annaleen @krnlg This is who runs the humanities now:
Show threadTracingVRL by A.J. FishJan 21, 2023
I just got that 😂
Show threadEyeInHandJan 19, 2023
@annaleen Actually just read this, as well. Machines made to mimic humans, including all the nightmares humans can imagine. What could go wrong?
Show threadDave MacDonald (admin)Jan 19, 2023
@annaleen as a data point, the average income in Kenya is about $165 USD per month, or $1/hr
Show threadRick SanchezJan 19, 2023
@dave @annaleen seems like a good deal for a low entry office gig.
Show threadenchantedsleeper 🌈⭐Jan 19, 2023
@dave @annaleen It's not about the average wage, though. It's awful, mentally scarring work. There should be huge compensation for that if people going to be asked to undertake it at all.
Show threadgodofredoJan 19, 2023
@dave @annaleen but average work is not looking at mentally disturbing stuff all day.
Show threadRick SanchezJan 19, 2023
@gottfired @dave @annaleen Kenyan morticians would disagree.
Show threadClaudius LinkJan 19, 2023

@annaleen
As far as I recall there is a whole section on this in #AtlasOfAI by @Katecrawford
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_of_AI

Highly recommended read

Atlas of AI - Wikipedia

Show threadDaniel ProbstJan 19, 2023
@annaleen ... and the continuing exploitation of Africa.
Show threadekesJan 19, 2023
@annaleen Wanna bet this idea was Musk's main contribution as the co-founder of the project?
Show threadEffie SeibergJan 19, 2023
@annaleen insert "scooby doo gang whipping off a monster mask from a bad guy" meme
Show threadDJ-BauerJan 19, 2023
@annaleen So basically they traumatized people to prevent their AI from learning from humanity and not turn into an average human
Sounds exactly what a human would do.
Disscusting!
Show threadThe Duality of XanJan 19, 2023
@annaleen The worst part by far, is how utterly unsurprising this is. All smoke, mirrors, and exploitation.
Show threadJaageriJan 19, 2023
@annaleen
Why am i not suprised.
Show threadZan O.Jan 19, 2023
@annaleen oh, I am very sorry to hear that. I tried the open the eye last night, and I just loved it.
Show threadBotoloJan 19, 2023
@annaleen “underpaid” based on which baseline? I am pretty sure average salary in Kenya is much lower than the US.
Show threadSISTRchiJan 19, 2023
@annaleen
We think it not so weird at all, but just another version of "business as usual" . . . this is just more nakedly exploitative than most of capital's tricks
Show threadOrca 🌻 | 🎀 | 🪁 | 🏴🏳️‍⚧️Jan 19, 2023
@annaleen Another Facebook, it seems 🤨
Show thread_Jan 19, 2023
@annaleen
Show threadMacwizzardJan 19, 2023
@annaleen so like Mechanical Turk but worse
Show threadscfJan 19, 2023
@annaleen Remember Yahoo!? They used humans to classify web sites. But they couldn't scale as fast as the automated schemes at Google, so here we are.
Show threadPikachu1331Jan 20, 2023

@annaleen What exactly is supposed to be the problem here? It was never claimed that those models were trained by magic or anything. These people are entry-level workers being paid above the minimum wage (after bonuses) for doing a menial job they agreed upon.

If the pay were more akin to where I live I'd gladly do it for $10/hr.

Show threadZarkyJan 20, 2023
@annaleen Once again I paraphrase TrashFuture Podcast: Any sufficiently cutting edge technology is really just a guy.
Show threadlarryMay 2, 2023
@annaleen
Its always about the money.