The digital labour of artificial intelligence in Latin America: a comparison of Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela

Paola Tubaro (), Antonio Casilli (), Mariana Fernández Massi, Julieta Longo, Juana Torres-Cierpe () and Matheus Viana Braz ()
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Paola Tubaro: CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, ENSAE Paris - École Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Administration Économique, CREST - Centre de Recherche en Économie et Statistique - ENSAI - Ecole Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Analyse de l'Information [Bruz] - X - École polytechnique - IP Paris - Institut Polytechnique de Paris - ENSAE Paris - École Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Administration Économique - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, IP Paris - Institut Polytechnique de Paris
Antonio Casilli: NOS - Numérique, Organisation et Société - I3 SES - Institut interdisciplinaire de l’innovation de Telecom Paris - Télécom Paris - IMT - Institut Mines-Télécom [Paris] - IP Paris - Institut Polytechnique de Paris - I3 - Institut interdisciplinaire de l’innovation - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, SES - Département Sciences Economiques et Sociales - Télécom Paris - IMT - Institut Mines-Télécom [Paris] - IP Paris - Institut Polytechnique de Paris
Mariana Fernández Massi: IdIHCS - Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales [La Plata] - CONICET - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas [Buenos Aires] - FaHCE - Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación [La Plata] - UNLP - Universidad Nacional de la Plata [Argentine], CONICET - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas [Buenos Aires]
Julieta Longo: IdIHCS - Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales [La Plata] - CONICET - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas [Buenos Aires] - FaHCE - Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación [La Plata] - UNLP - Universidad Nacional de la Plata [Argentine], CONICET - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas [Buenos Aires]
Juana Torres-Cierpe: Inria Siège - Inria - Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique
Matheus Viana Braz: UEM - Universidade Estadual de Maringá [Brasil] = State University of Maringá [Brazil] = Université d'État de Maringá [Brésil]

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Abstract: The current hype around artificial intelligence (AI) conceals the substantial human intervention underlying its development. This article lifts the veil on the precarious and low-paid ‘data workers' who prepare data to train, test, check, and otherwise support models in the shadow of globalized AI production. We use original questionnaire and interview data collected from 220 workers in Argentina (2021-22), 477 in Brazil (2023), and 214 in Venezuela (2021-22). We compare them to detect common patterns and reveal the specificities of data work in Latin America, while disclosing its role in AI production. We show that data work is intertwined with economic hardship, inequalities, and informality. Despite workers' high educational attainment, disadvantage is widespread, though with cross-country disparities. By acknowledging the interconnections between AI development, data work, and globalized production, we provide insights for the regulation of AI and the future of work, aiming to achieve positive outcomes for all stakeholders.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Data work; Informal economy; Global inequalities; Latin America (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-iue
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://cnrs.hal.science/hal-04935984v1
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Published in Globalizations, 2025, pp.1-16. ⟨10.1080/14747731.2025.2465171⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04935984

DOI: 10.1080/14747731.2025.2465171

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