Hidden Workforce Powering AI Algorithms
Santiago Coates
March, 17, 2025
3 min.
Somewhere in Hyderabad, India, Ramesh opens his laptop at 7:30 AM.
He doesn’t start his day checking email or news.
He logs into Populii.
There, he finds a new task: annotating medical images for a machine learning model being developed by a major tech company.
For the next three hours, he labels data, refines text inputs, and participates in a user research study.
By the end of the session, Ramesh has earned $30.
But the best part comes next: he opens Airtm and withdraws his earnings instantly in local currency. What used to be a distant dream is now a daily routine.
This story is no longer an exception. It’s part of a quiet revolution reshaping the digital labor market in countries like India, Colombia, Bolivia, and the Philippines.
Welcome to a new story about digital entrepreneurs in the Global South.
🌍 Training AI from the Global South Populii has emerged as one of the leading crowdsourcing platforms powering artificial intelligence development.
But what exactly is data labeling?
It’s the human process behind artificial intelligence: tagging images, transcribing text, or identifying sentiment in voice clips.
These microtasks feed massive datasets that teach AI systems—like the chatbots and image generators we use daily—how to understand, react, and perform with precision.
AI only works well because there are thousands of people behind the scenes making the data understandable.
With over 11 years of experience, Populii connects freelancers with specialized digital tasks previously confined to major tech hubs. From data annotation to research studies, Populii gives workers in over 160 countries the opportunity to earn dollars while contributing to cutting-edge technology development.
And now, with its integration with Airtm, those earnings are not just higher — they’re easier to access.
With Airtm, Populii workers can:
- Receive payments in digital dollars (USDC)
- Instantly withdraw earnings in local currency, across 190+ countries
- Choose from over 500 payout methods, from local bank transfers to digital wallets, cash pickup, or crypto
After finishing his task, Ramesh opens Airtm, selects his preferred payout method, and in less than five minutes, the money is in his local bank account.
“Airtm is the first wallet I’ve ever used that actually works for my type of work,” says Ramesh.
“It feels like it was built for people like me, who work in AI from places like India.
All my friends and former classmates are now doing the same — working with Populii, earning in dollars, and withdrawing instantly with Airtm. It’s becoming the wallet of AI workers.”
“Airtm is the best way to get paid in the Global South.”
While millions are still stuck in outdated, expensive financial systems, Airtm gives people a way to break free — and now, that freedom is reaching those training the next generation of AI.
🚀 What Does Populii Offer?
Populii delivers three core services:
- Advise: Expert consulting for complex AI projects
- Annotate: High-quality labeling and classification tasks
- Acquire: Diverse data collection in 80+ languages
This creates flexible, scalable income opportunities for thousands of people, like Ramesh, who are now earning more, building new skills, and shaping the future of work.
🎥 Want to get started?
We’ve created an exclusive Airtm Tutorials series to guide you every step of the way.
AIRTM TUTORIALS | #1 CREATE ACCOUNT 🚀
💡 A New Economy Is Rising. Be Part of It. While some are still waiting for local opportunities, others are already earning global income from home.
Populii x Airtm isn’t just a technical integration. It’s a meaningful opportunity to transform how we work — and how we get paid.
