# Indian workers film hand tasks for AI data, earning $5‑$10 per day

Digest AI · Business & Funding · published 2026-10-23T08:04:17Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/indian-workers-film-hand-tasks-for-ai-data-earning-5-10-per-day

## Summary

In Bengaluru, 22‑year‑old barber Mohammed Ashim has begun wearing a head‑mounted camera that records only his hands while he cuts hair. The footage, with faces blurred, is sold to robotics and "physical AI" firms. Rashdan Technologies pays $5 to $10 (£3.74; £7.47) for eight to ten hours of such video, and its co‑founder and CEO Shahil Baig says clients now request four to six cameras to capture whole‑body scenes, a harder sell that commands higher pay.

Humyn Labs, founded by Manish Agarwal, runs a network of 96,000 data collectors across Latin America and Southeast Asia. It filters thousands of hours of video, labels it, and delivers it to AI labs and robotics companies that need real‑world hand‑movement data, which cannot be generated in simulation. Workers like teacher Jolly Arifur earn two to three dollars per hour by recording domestic chores. Academics such as Bino Paul warn that the same data may eventually enable robots to replace the jobs being recorded, calling for regulation to ensure ethical use.

## Key points

- Rashdan Technologies pays $5‑$10 for 8‑10 hours of head‑mounted hand video, with clients now asking for 4‑6 cameras.
- Humyn Labs has 96,000 data collectors worldwide and curates thousands of hours of video for robotics AI customers.
- Workers such as Mohammed Ashim and Jolly Arifur earn extra income, while experts warn AI could later automate their tasks.

## Why it matters

High‑quality human‑hand video fuels training of physical AI and robotics, making low‑cost labor central to future automation and raising ethical, economic, and regulatory concerns.

## Sources

1. [The Indian workers filming their work to train AI](https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckvgyml6pdm9o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss) (BBC Technology, 2026-10-23)

## Cite

Digest AI, "Indian workers film hand tasks for AI data, earning $5‑$10 per day", 23 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/indian-workers-film-hand-tasks-for-ai-data-earning-5-10-per-day

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