Online platforms exist that provide access to a distributed workforce for completing tasks requiring human intelligence. These services facilitate outsourcing microtasks and larger projects to a global pool of workers. A researcher, for example, might use such a service to label images for machine learning model training, or a business could employ it for data entry or content moderation.
The value of these services lies in their ability to rapidly scale labor resources, reduce costs compared to traditional hiring practices, and access specialized skills on demand. Historically, these platforms have played a crucial role in enabling research in areas like artificial intelligence and natural language processing, as well as supporting various business processes that benefit from human input at scale.
