Indian workers training AI robots to take their jobs

Indian workers, including housewives and factory employees, are recording daily tasks with head-mounted cameras to train AI-powered robots. Nagireddy Sriramyachandra, a 25-year-old from Chennai, earns around $2 per hour filming herself slicing mangoes, sending footage via an app to Objectways, a US-India AI data company with Fortune 500 clients. The firm uses this "egocentric data" to help robots replicate human movements in real-world settings, such as folding clothes or making coffee. Objectways operates studios and hires workers in Tamil Nadu, India’s tech hub, where trainers film tasks in simulated apartments. CEO Ravi Shankar, based in the US but raised in India, says the demand for such data is rising, with Morgan Stanley predicting over 1 billion humanoid robots in use by 2050. Workers at a Karur textile factory also contribute by recording repetitive tasks like ironing cloth bags. India is leveraging its vast informal workforce—490 million strong—to become a global AI data processing center. However, government think-tank NITI Aayog warns automation risks displacing low-skilled jobs, from cobblers to street vendors, without targeted policies. A report ahead of India’s global AI summit highlights the need to integrate informal workers into AI advancements rather than assuming they will be replaced. Ponni, a 55-year-old flower garland maker in Bengaluru, fears younger generations may struggle if AI takes over manual labor roles. Meanwhile, Objectways’ trainers face technical challenges, like error messages when recordings fail, as they contribute to shaping the future of spatial AI—even as concerns grow over long-term job security.