Global-South on AI and Society Course

9.1 Ghost Work: The Hidden Human Labor Powering AI

Thu, 21 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ghost Work: The Hidden Human Labor Powering AI

Context & Systems Architecture

The public marketing narratives surrounding artificial intelligence systems champion the illusion of total technological autonomy, framing tools like ChatGPT as purely automated computational miracles. This framing masks a massive global network of human exploitation. Every supervised machine learning model and safety-filtered LLM is fundamentally dependent on an expansive, underpaid labor force situated primarily in the Global South. This workforce manually reviews, labels, and sanitizes toxic data packets to make artificial intelligence safe and profitable for tech conglomerates.

9.2 Biometric ID Systems (Aadhaar)

Thu, 21 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Biometric ID Systems (Aadhaar)

Context & Systems Architecture

India’s Aadhaar system represents the largest national biometric identification infrastructure in human history, encompassing over 1.4 billion registered individuals. Managed by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the system links an individual’s fingerprints, iris scans, and facial photographs to a unique 12-digit identification number. Originally introduced as a modernization initiative to streamline welfare distribution, eliminate administrative corruption, and delete “ghost beneficiaries,” the system has transformed into an mandatory digital gatekeeper for basic survival resources.