Mastodawn

I had a great conversation with @baratunde on Life with Machines about the millions of data workers worldwide who produce the data that fuels AI. We dug into the scale of this labor, its deeply human costs, and the possibilities for something better.

Watch it here https://youtu.be/4NSWFy11E8Q?feature=shared

Milagros Miceli 2d ago

Weizenbaum-Institut 2d ago

Join us next week to talk about THE #AI CON: How to Fight Big Tech's Hype and Create the Future We Want. Alex Hanna unpacks the myths and marketing that surround today’s AI discourse, and @milamiceli brings in critical insights from @data.workers.inquiry to highlight the often invisible labor behind AI systems. June 30, 6pm 👉 https://www.weizenbaum-institut.de/news/detail/the-ai-con-how-to-fight-big-techs-hype-and-create-the-future-we-want/

Milagros Miceli 2d ago

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Prof. Emily M. Bender(she/her)4d ago

@alex

Also available on PeerTube!

https://peertube.dair-institute.org/w/fZ6JesheyrorQhAEn5LFY5

Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000, Episode 58 - "Like Magic Intelligence in the Cloud"

PeerTube

Milagros Miceli 3d ago

🚨 Attention Berlin!

Next Monday, June 30th, I am thrilled to welcome @alex to the @Weizenbaum_Institut for a conversation about her book, THE AI CON (co-authored with Prof. Emily M. Bender).

Don't miss it! Register here to attend: https://tickets.weizenbaum-institut.de/sgvbf/

Book presentation "THE AI CON: How to Fight Big Tech's Hype and Create the Future We Want"

Mon, June 30th, 2025

Milagros Miceli Jun 15

ProPublica Jun 12

Shattered Science: The Research Lost as Trump Targets NIH Funding
—

The Trump administration cut research funding that sought cures for future pandemics, examined the causes of dementia and tried to prevent HIV transmission. ProPublica heard from more than 150 researchers to understand the work that’s been lost.
https://projects.propublica.org/nih-cuts-research-lost-trump/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

#News #NIH #Trump #Science #Research #Health #PublicHealth #Medicine

Science Shattered

The Trump administration cut research funding that sought cures for future pandemics, examined the causes of dementia and tried to prevent HIV transmission. More than 150 researchers shared with ProPublica what is being lost.

ProPublica

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Milagros Miceli Jun 14

As Meta tightens its grip on the future of AI, we must remember that it is data workers who build the very foundation of this industry. Yet, while big tech corporations close billion-dollar deals, the workers are still discarded without accountability.

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Milagros Miceli Jun 14

Some of these data workers were the very same people who performed content moderation for Meta under horrific labor conditions: exposed to disturbing text and images, and left with lasting psychological trauma, all for less than USD1.50 an hour.
https://data-workers.org/fasica/

Content Moderation: The harrowing, traumatizing job that left many African data workers with mental health issues and drug dependency, by Fasica Berhane Gebrekidan

Exploited by subcontractors like Sama, content moderators for Meta in Nairobi face psychological trauma and silencing. This report highlights their mental health struggles and common coping mechanisms, including drug abuse and self-harm.

Data Workers' Inquiry

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Milagros Miceli Jun 14

As Mophat Okinyi reported for Data Workers' Inquiry, when Scale's subsidiary, Remotasks, shut down operations in Kenya, it left thousands of workers with nothing. Some never received their final pay.
https://data-workers.org/mophat/

Impact of Remotasks’ Closure on Kenyan Workers, by Mophat Okinyi

In March 2024, Remotasks shut down thousands of accounts of data workers in African countries. This collection of interviews highlights the struggles of these workers and discusses structural discrimination based on workers’ geographical location.

Data Workers' Inquiry

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Milagros Miceli Jun 14

But, as the article argues, the deal is likely to leave data workers behind. Let's remember that Meta, as well as Scale AI, built their empire on the backs of exploited data workers.

Milagros Miceli Jun 14

Meta is pouring $15 billion into Scale AI for a near-controlling stake. This move puts immense power into the hands of one of the world’s largest tech giants. It is a quiet but colossal deal to secure dominance over the data pipelines behind Meta's AI ambitions.
https://time.com/7293552/meta-scale-ai-workers/

Meta’s $15 Billion Scale AI Deal Could Leave Gig Workers Behind

Scale AI built its business on the labor of gig workers. But those workers likely won't benefit from Scale's $15 billion deal with Meta.

Time

website	http://milamiceli.com
data workers' inquiry	http://data-workers.org