Indian workers earn extra pay filming their skills for robot training

For workers in India, teaching AI can mean earning extra money without leaving their regular jobs: just strap on a camera. A BBC investigation published October 23 follows people recording haircuts, garment work and household chores for robotics training. The income is tangible; whether the machines eventually threaten their livelihoods remains uncertain.

Mohammed Ashim, a 22-year-old barber in Bengaluru, wears a head-mounted camera for five or six hours a day. His hands must stay in view, the lighting must be clear, and he must avoid abrupt head movements. Customers’ faces are blurred.

Ashim values both the money and the excitement of contributing his skills. A local company collects his footage for sale to technology companies and research organisations training physical AI—systems designed to control robots in the real world.

A skilled hand becomes a training example

Rashdan Technologies collects and processes human-activity data. Its co-founder and chief executive, Shahil Baig, says customers seek tasks ranging from agriculture to embroidery. He says Rashdan pays $5 to $10 for eight to 10 hours of recorded work.

Manish Agarwal, founder of data company Humyn Labs, says robotics training needs detailed signals about limbs, fingers and force. Gripping a plastic bottle without crushing it is different from holding a steel glass. Some collection uses hardware on hands and fingers to capture physical contact, alongside video.

Agarwal says Humyn has 96,000 collectors across countries in Latin America and Southeast Asia. It filters, labels and packages their footage for clients. Location matters: he says training for robots in US homes or factories needs environments resembling those settings.

More cameras, a harder consent conversation

Baig says Rashdan records hands rather than faces, blurs faces captured in wider shots, and excludes names and contact details from customer deliveries. He describes worker consent and comfort as important parts of the process.

But customers now ask for four to six cameras around a worker’s head to capture the wider scene, he says. That is harder to secure agreement for than a single camera. Rashdan pays more for this tier of collection.

Extra income now, uncertain returns later

Mohammed Arman has spent 10 years stitching and cutting garments in Bangalore. He recently began recording that work to earn more for tasks he already performs. Science teacher Jolly Arifur records chores around teaching and caring for her young son. She says she earns $2 to $3 an hour, recording three to five hours daily.

Bino Paul, a professor at Mumbai’s Tata Institute of Social Sciences, says it is too early to know the effects on workers. AI could help some, while robots could automate other jobs. He calls for government regulation, warning that workers may have little leverage by the time they understand what their participation has enabled.