Global Inequalities in the Production of Artificial Intelligence: A Four-Country Study on Data Work

The recent emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) as a transformative force across industries has directed attention toward potential job losses, as machines may assume tasks currently performed by workers. The interplay between cross-country economic inequalities, disparities in digital literacy and access, gender differences, and fast-paced technological development, calls for a comprehensive understanding of the implications of AI production. This chapter presents four country studies to illuminate how these inequalities manifest in specific settings, underscoring the far-reaching impact of data work on the broader socioeconomic backdrop. Inequalities manifest in multifaceted ways across low- and high-income countries, mainly influenced by gender and digital divide, in ways that take on distinct contours in each setting. The future of work in the digital age requires a broader view, one that accounts not just for the impact of automation on labor, but also for the effects of poor working conditions, coloniality, and inequalities on AI development.