cross-posted from: lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/75127261
Kenyans Did College Students’ Homework for Years. Then A.I. Arrived.
Submitted 2 weeks ago by themachinestops@lemmy.dbzer0.com to technology@beehaw.org
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/05/technology/kenya-college-essays-ai.html
kibiz0r@midwest.social 2 weeks ago
Article seriously undersells how Kenyan RLHF was crucial for building the very AI that threatens their livelihood — and also the abuses of those companies, like exposing employees to horrific traumatizing content on a regular basis, and hiding the already low payment behind absurd obstacles like “you can only withdraw your payment once you hit $20 (but we’re only gonna give you $12 of work)”.
Kenyans are, in effect, still doing students’ homework, and they’ve been cheated out of any economic upside for it. Articles like this that are 98% criti-hype (with a little asterisk about how labor disputes pushed RLHF firms out of the country) serve the interests of the tech barons, not Kenyans.