User:Mintking96/Ghost work

Ghost work was a term made by anthropologist Mary L. Gray and computer scientist Siddharth Suri in their 2019 book, Ghost Work: How to Stop Silicon Valley from Building a New Global Underclass. The authors' intended use of the term 'ghost work' is to call out work conditions where the value of the person providing momentary service is erased.

Definition
Ghost work does not describe the work itself, but the conditions of work. For companies that use content-control software to filter inappropriate material, ghost work is necessary when Artificial Intelligence (AI) cannot recognize insights that humans can, such as discerning between images of traffic lights and crosswalks. It focuses on task-based and content-driven work that can be funneled through the internet and Application programming interfaces (API's). This kind of work can include labeling, editing, moderating, and sorting information or content. An example of CAPTCHA which tests whether users are humans or robots.

Ghost work can also be done remotely (so long as there is an internet access) and on a contract-basis. It's an invisible workforce, scaled for those who desire full-time work and for those who pick it up whenever they have the time. Though it can function position-independent through the internet, there are data factories in China that mine “the Saudi Arabia of data” by parsing and cataloguing to make data useful and then assemble the foundation of the nation’s AI ambition. The core characteristics of ghost work are considered low-wage, disposable, and menial. Ghost workers play a low-tech role of the high-tech production, equivalent to the construction workers of the digital world. Therefore, this aspect creates the fear that AI will make ghost work obsolete.

A benefit of ghost work is flexible hours due to the worker choosing when they complete a task, making it an appealing option for those in between jobs or those in need of side work. However, with the promise of flexible hours and endless tasks, companies can potentially undervalue or mistreat the workers. The workforce today is beginning to adapt more towards this labor style, similar to Uber and Lyft drivers, as opposed to the standard nine to five workday.

In contrast to peer production that emphasizes the community spirit and co-work on open source products, ghost work tends to be benefit-driven.

Ghost work differentiates from gig work or temporary work specifically as it is task-based and uncredited. While gig work involves more of a general platform, ghost work emphasizes on the software or algorithm aspect of assisting machines to automate further. Through labelling content, ghost workers teach the machine to learn. Ghost workers find ways to help each other and self-organize through WhatsApp groups, where they also mobilize to fight for changes on the platform 

Examples of ghost work
Amazon is the most notable instance of ghost work; as the retailer grew, the company realized that they would need to constantly post products, verify product photos, create product captions, and more. In addition to these tasks, Amazon also needed an army of people to update book reviews dating back to 2005. As a result, the website Amazon Mechanical Turk (otherwise known as MTurk) was created for "crowdworkers" to pick up and complete posted tasks. Once these tasks were completed, the person who completed it would be paid. Amazon also charged a small surcharge to match posters with those who had certain qualifications to complete the projects and tasks. This allowed almost anyone to go on and find work. This platform allows for easy and inexpensive participation among workers, particularly young individuals. There are still some disadvantages but the ghost work industry will potentially grow even more in the upcoming years.