OpenAI—OpenAI's contractor Sama paid Kenyan data labelers $2/hour to review traumatic content for ChatGPT training
In November 2021, OpenAI contracted Sama to hire Kenyan data labelers to remove toxic content from ChatGPT training data. Despite OpenAI paying Sama $12.50/hour per worker, laborers received only $1.32-$2.00/hour. Workers were exposed to graphic content including child sexual abuse, bestiality, murder, and torture. Of 144 assessed workers, 81% were diagnosed with severe PTSD. Wellness counseling was limited due to productivity demands. Sama canceled the contract in March 2022, eight months early, then retrenched 200 employees. In July 2023, four workers petitioned Kenya's National Assembly for investigation.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform Labor Conditions | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Worker Rights | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.443 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (critical ×2) × confidence (0.59)× agency (negligent ×0.5)
Evidence (1 signal)
TIME investigation revealed OpenAI used $2/hour Kenyan workers to make ChatGPT less toxic
TIME Magazine published an investigation revealing that OpenAI contracted Sama to employ Kenyan workers at $1.32-$2/hour to label toxic content for ChatGPT training, despite paying Sama $12.50/hour per worker. Workers were exposed to graphic content and 81% were diagnosed with severe PTSD.