Positions focused on labeling information for artificial intelligence algorithms, completed outside of a traditional office setting, are increasingly prevalent. This work involves tasks such as categorizing images, transcribing audio, or tagging text, all of which contribute to the training and refinement of machine learning models. For example, an individual might be tasked with identifying and labeling objects within a series of photographs to help an AI system learn to recognize those objects in the future.
The rise of these roles offers numerous advantages. For companies, it expands the talent pool geographically, potentially leading to more diverse perspectives and specialized skills. For individuals, it provides flexibility and autonomy, allowing them to manage their work schedule and location. Historically, data annotation was often performed in-house, but the evolution of cloud-based platforms and the increasing sophistication of AI have facilitated the growth of distributed annotation teams.