Robot training data in Philippines
10 companies with workers here, 2 datasets collected here and 9 sourced events. Reported robot-data pay runs $1.44 to $1.82 an hour, 1.7× to 2.2× the local minimum wage.
Open on the interactive map →Work types
robotics datadata collection audio videoannotationcontent moderation
Minimum wage
- $145 a month, about $0.84 an hour (ILOSTAT, 2024)
Pay reported
| Work | USD per hour | × min wage | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remotasks annotators, Cagayan de Oro | $0.68 to $0.85 | 0.9× | 2025 | equaltimes. |
| Robot teleoperator ('pilot'), about 50 robots each | $1.44 to $1.82 | 1.9× | 2025 | restofworld. |
Companies with workers here
Datasets collected here
- Telexistence store-restocking teleoperation data restofworld.
org ↗ Major outlet - Appen egocentric robotics video ~60,000 hours/month capacity abc.
net. Major outletau ↗
Events
- 2026-10-03 Philippine economist calls for data on AI annotators
Forum on counting the hidden AI data workforce. newsbytes.ph ↗ Secondary - 2026-09-20 Appen collects 60,000 hours of egocentric video a month
Up to 5,000 contributors worldwide record first-person video for robot training. abc.net. Major outletau ↗ - 2026-08-05 Avatar Robotics raises $6.5M for offshore-teleoperated warehouse robots
Warehouse robots are teleoperated by contractors in Mexico, Colombia and the Philippines. businessinsider.com ↗ Major outlet - 2026-06-23 World Cup AI runs on annotators in Manila, Cairo, Chennai and Ternopil
Sports computer-vision tagging is concentrated in a few low-cost cities. restofworld.org ↗ Major outlet - 2026-02-17 Waymo defends Philippines-based remote assistance
US lawmakers questioned overseas staff; Waymo says agents advise but do not drive. thestar.com. Secondarymy ↗ - 2026-02 Waymo admits Philippines-based remote operators
US senators objected to overseas remote assistance for robotaxis. businessinsider.com ↗ Major outlet - 2025-04-24 Filipino self-driving annotators report halved pay
Remotasks per-task pay has halved since 2022. equaltimes.org ↗ Secondary - 2025-04 Global Trade Union Alliance of Content Moderators formed
Moderators' unions from nine countries form a global alliance in Nairobi (month uncertain). civictech.guide ↗ Secondary - 2023-08-30 Washington Post: Remotasks digital sweatshops in the Philippines
Rebecca Tan and Regine Cabato report delayed and withheld pay on Scale's Remotasks, including video labeling for automated driving. stripes.com ↗ Major outlet
On-the-ground evidence
- Waymo (remote assistance centres)
Waymo operates four centers for remote assistance in Arizona, Michigan, and in two cities in the Philippines to support its fleet.
thestar.com. Secondarymy ↗ - Objectways
We have people in countries like India, USA, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, who are collecting such data for us.
indianexpress.com ↗ Major outlet - Appen (video contributors)
including India, Canada, the US, Brazil, Mexico and the Philippines
abc.net. Major outletau ↗ - Remotasks (Scale AI)
at least 10,000 of these workers do this labor on a platform called Remotasks
stripes.com ↗ Major outlet
Every row links to its source, and hovering a link shows the quote it rests on. Research compiled 2026-10-05. Method