Micro-work, artificial intelligence and the automotive industry

Paola Tubaro and Antonio A. Casilli
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Antonio A. Casilli: Département SES, Telecom ParisTech

Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, 2019, vol. 46, issue 3, No 3, 333-345

Abstract: Abstract This paper delves into the human factors in the “back-office” of artificial intelligence and of its data-intensive algorithmic underpinnings. We show that the production of AI is a labor-intensive process, which particularly needs the little-qualified, inconspicuous and low-paid contribution of “micro-workers” who annotate, tag, label, correct and sort the data that help to train and test smart solutions. We illustrate these ideas in the high-profile case of the automotive industry, one of the largest clients of digital data-related micro-working services, notably for the development of autonomous and connected cars. This case demonstrates how micro-work has a place in long supply chains, where tech companies compete with more traditional industry players. Our analysis indicates that the need for micro-work is not a transitory, but a structural one, bound to accompany the further development of the sector; and that its provision involves workers in different geographical and linguistic areas, requiring the joint study of multiple platforms operating at both global and local levels.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Micro-work; Automotive industry; Digital platform economy; Organization of work (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D26 J49 L62 M13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (17)

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DOI: 10.1007/s40812-019-00121-1

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