Indian data workers train robots as AI firms seek real-world labour

AI's hidden workforce predates the current robot boom. Amazon Mechanical Turk popularised online microwork in 2005, and image-labelling firms later supplied datasets for autonomous vehicles and computer vision. Wang, Prabhat and Sambasivan's 2022 study of Indian annotation work found that annotators' work practices were shaped by clients and managers above them, not by worker autonomy. The ILO's 2023 working paper then framed generative AI mainly as an augmentation shock, while warning that job quality and fair transitions would depend on policy choices. Robotics adds a physical layer: machines need data about movement, objects, workplaces and human improvisation.

Physical AI is becoming another front in the competition between US, Chinese, Indian and European technology ecosystems. Countries and firms that control data, chips, robotics talent and workplace deployment channels will shape productivity gains. India's role is not only as a software market; it is also a labour and data infrastructure for systems that may later compete globally.

The lead is timely because AI developers are moving from text-based models toward robots that need real-world training data. The European regulatory clock also matters: the Commission says the AI Act is moving through phased application, with full applicability due on 2 August 2026 and later deadlines for some high-risk systems.