Why are Indian workers being paid to film everyday tasks for AI?

Indian workers are being paid about 250 rupees, or US$2.40 per hour, to create training data for artificial intelligence systems and robots. The footage helps AI models learn how humans perform everyday activities such as cooking, cleaning and organising objects.

What is egocentric video and how is it used in artificial intelligence?

Egocentric video is first-person footage captured from the perspective of the person performing a task. Companies such as Objectways and Humyn Lab use these videos to create labelled datasets that help artificial intelligence systems understand human actions and movements.

How large could the humanoid robot market become?

Goldman Sachs estimates the humanoid robot market could reach approximately US$38 billion by 2035. The forecast is contributing to increased demand for training data used in robotics and artificial intelligence development.

What are the privacy concerns surrounding AI training data?

AI training data collected through first-person video can include footage from homes, workplaces and other private environments. Workers and privacy advocates have raised concerns about data ownership, storage policies and how the recordings may be used in future commercial products.

What role does Objectways play in the artificial intelligence industry?

Objectways creates and labels artificial intelligence training datasets using footage recorded by workers performing real-world tasks. The company supplies data that can be used to train robotics, automation and machine learning systems.

Image for illustrative purposes only. Not a real photo.

AI data boom pays India workers $2.40

Written by Heidi Cuthbert Published Jun 16, 2026, 7:27 AM

Indian workers are earning about 250 rupees, or US$2.40 per hour, to film everyday tasks that are used to train artificial intelligence systems and robots.
Companies such as Objectways and Humyn Lab are creating datasets from first-person video footage for AI and robotics developers.
The growing market has raised questions about worker compensation, privacy and the role of low-cost labour in the global AI industry.

Indian workers are being paid about 250 rupees, or US$2.40 per hour, to record everyday activities such as preparing food and household chores, creating training data for artificial intelligence systems and humanoid robots.

The work forms part of a growing market for egocentric video datasets, where first-person footage is captured using head-mounted smartphones and later annotated for use in machine learning models.

“Training humanoid and mobile robots demands mountains of clean, real-world behavior data,” Objectways founder Ravi Shankar said.

Objectways and Bengaluru-based Humyn Lab use the footage to create labelled datasets that help AI systems learn how humans perform physical tasks, with clients including companies developing robotics and automation technologies.

The expansion comes as Goldman Sachs forecasts the humanoid robot market could reach approximately US$38 billion by 2035, highlighting growing demand for AI training data, and following the developments Objectways' share price was unchanged at US$0.00.

The business model has also sparked debate around privacy, as workers often record footage inside homes and workplaces, while some contributors have raised questions about data ownership, retention policies and long-term compensation.

Supporters argue that diverse datasets are necessary to improve robot performance across different environments, while critics contend that the economic benefits of AI may not be evenly shared between technology companies and the workers generating the training data.