AI Economy: Labour and Human Rights

Artificial Intelligence is often regarded as a revolutionary advancement that has the potential to improve efficiency, speed and cognitive capabilities across diverse domains of existence. However, hidden beneath this veil of development is the significant effort of endless human employees notably in places such as India whose crucial input often stays in the shadows. These workers take on responsibilities like data tagging, overseeing online content, handling tiny jobs and improving AI-generated outputs: the often-disregarded group that diligently cultivates and fine tunes generative AI technologies. Nonetheless, a substantial segment of these labourers’ experiences conditions that are unfair defined by low wages, long hours, minimal appreciation and lacking safety measures. This situation prompts a disconcerting inquiry: Is the global AI economy advancing at the expense of human dignity? Though there are progress in the digital labour force still lack protection. The shift from "data colonialism" to "digital forced labour" leaves many vulnerable to exploitation, especially when platforms are not transparent and workers have little bargaining power or support. This paper also analyses that India’s part in the worldwide AI workforce and reviews national and international labour laws, human rights protections and Universal Declaration of Human Rights and ILO conventions. By focusing on these workers and asking for AI rules based on rights, the paper shows why changes in laws and rules are needed to protect human rights in the digital economy. Protecting online workers is not just about fairness, it is a moral and legal duty if we want technology to be fair and open to everyone.