As robotaxis and other AI-based technologies proliferate, so does the myth that these systems are fully autonomous. During a recent Senate hearing, industry leader Waymo provided the latest reminder that AI relies on human labor – often low-paid – more than people realize.
Waymo’s chief safety officer, Mauricio Peña, recently noted that when the company’s robotaxis encounter unusual situations, they may request real-time input from a remote response agent, receiving human guidance when needed. While some of the contractors work in the US, many operate from other countries, such as the Philippines.
The admission is another example of human workers, often contractors, supporting supposedly autonomous AI systems from behind the curtain. Tesla’s robotaxis still rely on human monitors sitting inside each vehicle.
Contract labor has been at the heart of AI since OpenAI sparked the latest wave of investment in the technology several years ago. ChatGPT relied heavily on workers from across the world to train its underlying large language model, often for as little as $15 an hour with no benefits.
Filipino remote workers also oversaw most of the orders taken through Presto Automation’s supposedly autonomous fast-food drive-thru system. Meanwhile, Amazon’s ill-fated Just Walk Out technology, which claimed to handle physical purchases automatically without involving cash registers, actually relied upon workers in India to monitor customers.
https://www.techspot.com/news/111233-waymo-admits-autopilot-often-guys-philippines.html