Interviews with data workers in China and Australia reveal the precarious, exploitative conditions of this new branch of the gig economy.
An AI job boom? Here’s what the tedious, temporary work in data labelling is actually like
Interviews with data workers in China and Australia reveal the precarious, exploitative conditions of this new branch of the gig economy.
AI Data Centers: Big Tech's Impact on Electric Bills, Water, and More via @ConsumerReports
Massive data centers are gobbling up resources across the United States. The boom has just begun—and you may be paying for it.
AI Is A Money Trap
In the last week, we’ve had no less than three different pieces asking whether the massive proliferation of data centers is a massive bubble, and though they, at times, seem to take the default position of AI’s inevitable value, they’ve begun to sour on the idea that
A Collectivist, Economic Perspective on AI
Information technology is in the midst of a revolution in which omnipresent data collection and machine learning are impacting the human world as never before. The word ``intelligence'' is being...
Labelers training AI say they're overworked, underpaid and exploited by big American tech companies
Digital workers in Kenya had to sift through horrific online content to train AI, but say they were underpaid, overworked, and got inadequate mental health support. So they're fighting back.
AI Companies Are Trying to Hide a Staggering Amount of Debt
AI companies are pouring tens of billions of dollars into enormous data centers. They're being built on top of a mountain of hidden debt.
I Work in Hollywood. Everyone Who Used to Make TV Is Now Secretly Training AI
For screenwriters like me—and job seekers all over—AI gig work is the new waiting tables. In eight months, I’ve done 20 of these soul-crushing contracts for five different platforms. It’s bad.
A Short Guide to Data Strikes and Conscious Data Contribution in the Context of 2026 Frontier AI
Back to the basics of data leverage.
Spending on AI Is at Epic Levels. Will It Ever Pay Off?
Tech companies are pouring hundreds of billions into data centers, taking on heavy debt, but current revenue is relatively tiny. Critics warn of a new dot-com bubble.
Inside the Dirty, Dystopian World of AI Data Centers
The race to power AI is already remaking the physical world.
nxthompson on Twitter / X
AI is mucking up the job market. Everyone uses AI to write similar cover letters; resumes are all perfect. People apply for zillions of jobs and cheat in Zoom calls. Hiring is now basically AI talking to AI while humans wait to hear nothing back. https://t.co/kyqOotxeAl— nxthompson (@nxthompson) June 2, 2026
'AI Is African Intelligence': The Workers Who Train AI Are Fighting Back
Kenyan workers are still the underpaid labor behind AI training, moderation, and sex chatbots. The Data Labelers Association is fighting back.
State of AI 2026 | The Industry-Defining Report
Explore how AI is shaping the digital economy in 2026, with 80+ pages of data on ad spend, app downloads, web behavior, user demographics, and so much more.
People Hate Datacenters, Survey Finds
The data drops as Sen. Bernie Sanders calls for a moratorium on datacenter construction. 'We need to take a deep breath. We need to make sure that AI and robotics work for all of us, not just a handful of billionaires.'
