African tech workers advocate for rights at AI Action Summit in Paris

At the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris this week, African Tech Workers Rising is advocating for data supply chain workers from across Africa. Sonia Kgomo, a former Facebook content moderator from Kenya and an organizer for the group, attended the summit to highlight the essential roles and pressing needs of content moderators, data labelers, AI trainers, and other related positions.

"We are an unseen force behind AI breakthroughs, and we’re on the front lines of keeping technology safe for our communities," Kgomo stated. "Our voices are essential to creating a just digital era, and I am here at the summit to make sure they’re heard."

The group's demands include living wages, safe working conditions, and union representation. Supported by UNI Global Union, African Tech Workers Rising aims to reveal the often-invisible labor behind AI where workers frequently endure long hours moderating disturbing content or labeling data at high speeds.