#data-annotation

#data-annotation

What does it take to become the most successful AI surveillance company in 2025? If you're anything like Flock, the startup selling automatic license plate readers and facial recognition tech to cops, you don't really need much AI at all - just an army of sweatshop workers in the global south. Bombshell new reporting from 404 Media found that Flock, which has its cameras in thousands of US communities, has been outsourcing its AI to gig workers located in the Philippines.

Grok Imagine, an image and video generation tool, debuted in July. Musk said earlier this month that the company plans to release a "watchable" full-length film by the end of 2026, and "really good movies" in 2027. He has hyped up the chatbot's image generation skills, from reenactments of the final scene of "King Kong" to a version of "Iron Man" in which he plays Tony Stark.

"In some ways, Scale lost the focus on product, on scaling quality," Foody said. "And that was one of the largest challenges of the business."

"After a thorough review of our Human Data efforts, we've decided to accelerate the expansion and prioritization of our specialist AI tutors, while scaling back our focus on general AI tutor roles. This strategic pivot will take effect immediately," the email read. "As part of this shift in focus, we no longer need most generalist AI tutor positions and your employment with xAI will conclude."

What's become exceedingly important is the ability to attract and retain the best cognitive experts... to take these large models and make them very customized towards solving enterprise AI problems.