The article “The Workers Behind AI Rarely See Its Rewards, This Indian Startup Wants to Fix That” by Billy Perrigo in Time Magazine explores the lives of data workers in India and Karya, an Indian AI data startup. Karya captures, labels, and annotates data for clients and provides economic opportunities to rural Indians by using an app to contribute voice recordings in their native languages, such as Kannada, to train AI systems.
Data workers earn significantly higher wages per hour through Karya, and the company aims to tackle biases and ethical issues in the AI industry while providing tangible benefits to underprivileged communities. Chandrika, a 30-year-old woman in Alahalli and Chilukavadi, earns an impressive hourly wage of about $5, nearly 20 times the Indian minimum wage. Kanakaraj S., a 21-year-old man in a nearby college, earns 350 rupees but faces challenges due to climate change.
Karya collaborates with local NGOs to ensure job opportunities are first accessible to the most economically disadvantaged, including historically marginalized communities. Karya empowers workers by granting them virtual ownership of the data generated during their tasks, enabling them to earn additional income when the data is resold. This unique model distinguishes Karya from other AI startups in India.
