Indian Workers Film Daily Tasks to Train Global AI Robots

Thousands of workers across India are being employed to generate egocentric data by filming themselves performing routine activities to train AI-powered robots. Using head-mounted cameras and motion sensors, these trainers record tasks such as cooking, folding clothes, and industrial labor for global tech companies and the Amazon SageMaker platform.

Objectways, a firm with offices in India and the United States, manages this workforce to supply data to Fortune 500 multinationals. This operation relies on a network of providers, including subcontractors like Qanat Consulting Services in Andhra Pradesh and specialized firms such as Humyn Labs in Bengaluru, which processes speech patterns and video data.

While the spatial AI sector provides immediate employment, the government think-tank NITI Aayog warned that automation presents significant risks to India's 490 million informal workers. Conversely, industry leaders like Manish Agarwal argue that humans and robots will eventually collaborate, suggesting a future where Indian workers could remotely manage robotic systems in locations such as Prague.