INDIAN GARMENT WORKERS FILM THEMSELVES FOR AI TRAINING

Garment worker Lalita initially found the setup amusing when supervisors handed her a head-mounted camera after nearly a year on the job. The novelty quickly faded as workers realized the true purpose: collecting training data for AI systems designed to automate their roles. Factories across India are increasingly using this method to capture detailed footage of manufacturing processes. Workers film themselves performing repetitive tasks—sewing, folding, packaging—which feeds machine learning algorithms that could eventually replace human labor. The practice has sparked anxiety among employees. "Who is going to pay us when we're replaced by robots?" workers ask, voicing legitimate concerns about their futures. Many lack awareness of how their recorded footage will be used or what happens to the data afterward. Labor advocates warn the trend exploits workers who face pressure to participate and have little bargaining power. While companies argue AI automation improves efficiency, workers see it as documentation of their own obsolescence.