Indian workers are earning small fees to film themselves performing everyday tasks, providing video data that teaches robots how to move and behave like humans in the real world.

What happened: Thousands of AI trainers in India—including housewives, flower-garland makers, and factory workers—are recording themselves doing routine tasks while wearing head-mounted cameras and motion sensors. They earn 250 rupees ($2.6) per hour, sending the footage via app to AI data companies with offices in India and the United States that serve Fortune 500 clients. This first-person video, called egocentric data, feeds into specialized AI models to teach robots how to copy human behaviour in real environments.

Why it matters: Building robots that can navigate physical spaces is harder than training chatbots or image generators, which rely on digital data. Egocentric video—filmed from a person's point of view—appears to be the key technique developers believe will work. India has positioned itself as a global hub for AI data creation and processing, and experts note it is likely that these data collection services will increase. At the same time, government think tank NITI Aayog warns that AI poses risks to India's 490 million informal workers, yet most policy discussions focus only on white-collar job losses.

What to watch: The humanoid robot market is booming, with projections showing more than one billion robots in use by 2050, mostly for industrial and commercial purposes. Workers themselves, like 55-year-old Ponni, express concern that the next generation may face job displacement from the very automation they are now helping to train.