To train robots, AI companies are paying people in India to film themselves doing chores

NPR | By Diaa Hadid

Published October 15, 2026 at 5:41 PM EDT

Men and women across India are being paid to record themselves doing domestic jobs as developers train AI robots to do household chores.

Diaa Hadid

Diaa Hadid has covered South Asia and Afghanistan from NPR's bureau in Mumbai since October 2023. She previously spent 6 years in NPR's Islamabad bureau, where she covered Pakistan and Afghanistan. Her favorite stories are about people and moments that capture the complexity of the places she covers.

See stories by Diaa Hadid

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