# Data Enrichment Work and AI Labor in Latin America and the Caribbean

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.06981 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.06981/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 6 of its 74 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 13 Jan 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 6 of 6)

- [A Data-Driven Analysis of Workers' Earnings on Amazon Mechanical Turk](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1712.05796/) (2017)
- [Data Leverage: A Framework for Empowering the Public in its Relationship with Technology Companies](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2012.09995/) (2020)
- [Quantifying the Invisible Labor in Crowd Work](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.00169/) (2021)
- [Characterizing the Global Crowd Workforce: A Cross-Country Comparison of Crowdworker Demographics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1812.05948/) (2018)
- [Machine Learning Across Cultures: Modeling the Adoption of Financial Services for the Poor](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1606.05105/) (2016)
- [Understanding Interface Design and Mobile Money Perceptions in Latin America](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1803.05032/) (2018)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The global AI surge demands crowdworkers from diverse languages and cultures. They are pivotal in labeling data for enabling global AI systems. Despite global significance, research has primarily focused on understanding the perspectives and experiences of US and India crowdworkers, leaving a notable gap. To bridge this, we conducted a survey with 100 crowdworkers across 16 Latin American and Caribbean countries. We discovered that these workers exhibited pride and respect for their digital labor, with strong support and admiration from their families. Notably, crowd work was also seen as a stepping stone to financial and professional independence. Surprisingly, despite wanting more connection, these workers also felt isolated from peers and doubtful of others' labor quality. They resisted collaboration and gender-based tools, valuing gender-neutrality. Our work advances HCI understanding of Latin American and Caribbean crowdwork, offering insights for digital resistance tools for the region.