Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
These workers are training AI to take their own jobs.
There’s a hidden workforce powering the rise of ChatGPT, and nearly 1 in 5 of them have fallen into homelessness.
We investigated America’s AI sweatshops, and found a new gig economy run by Big Tech.
Correction:
5:14 Mercor promotional footage. Individual workers in these advertisements were not part of More Perfect Union’s report.
Reporter: Karen Hao
Producer: Sam Black
Supervising Producer: Sam Quigley
Editor: Nora Tennessen
Videographers: Peter Braswell, Natalie Chao, Justin Feltman, Devon Lyons, LaDawn Manuel, Adam McCoy
Video Production Manager: Isabel Atalaya
Video Production Coordinator: Jodi Clemens
Video Production Fellow: Astrid Dong
-----
More Perfect Union is an Emmy-winning, nonprofit newsroom whose mission is to build power for working people. Here’s what that means: We report on the real struggles and challenges of the working class from a working-class perspective. We attempt to connect those problems to potential solutions. We report on the abuses and wrongdoing of corporate power. And we seek to hold accountable the ultra-rich who have too much power over America’s political and economic systems.
To support our independent journalism, subscribe, donate, and follow our other pages through the links below:
- Help fund our reporting: secure.actblue.com/donate/mpu-splash
- Substack: substack.perfectunion.us
- TikTok: tiktok.com/@moreperfectunion
- Twitter: twitter.com/MorePerfectUS
- Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/moreperfectunion.bsky.social
- Facebook: facebook.com/MorePerfectUS
- Instagram: instagram.com/perfectunion
- Threads: threads.net/@perfectunion
- Website: perfectunion.us
These workers are training AI to take their own jobs.
There’s a hidden workforce powering the rise of ChatGPT, and nearly 1 in 5 of them have fallen into homelessness.
We investigated America’s AI sweatshops, and found a new gig economy run by Big Tech.
Correction:
5:14 Mercor promotional footage. Individual workers in these advertisements were not part of More Perfect Union’s report.
Reporter: Karen Hao
Producer: Sam Black
Supervising Producer: Sam Quigley
Editor: Nora Tennessen
Videographers: Peter Braswell, Natalie Chao, Justin Feltman, Devon Lyons, LaDawn Manuel, Adam McCoy
Video Production Manager: Isabel Atalaya
Video Production Coordinator: Jodi Clemens
Video Production Fellow: Astrid Dong
-----
More Perfect Union is an Emmy-winning, nonprofit newsroom whose mission is to build power for working people. Here’s what that means: We report on the real struggles and challenges of the working class from a working-class perspective. We attempt to connect those problems to potential solutions. We report on the abuses and wrongdoing of corporate power. And we seek to hold accountable the ultra-rich who have too much power over America’s political and economic systems.
To support our independent journalism, subscribe, donate, and follow our other pages through the links below:
- Help fund our reporting: secure.actblue.com/donate/mpu-splash
- Substack: substack.perfectunion.us
- TikTok: tiktok.com/@moreperfectunion
- Twitter: twitter.com/MorePerfectUS
- Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/moreperfectunion.bsky.social
- Facebook: facebook.com/MorePerfectUS
- Instagram: instagram.com/perfectunion
- Threads: threads.net/@perfectunion
- Website: perfectunion.us
