While US tech giants face growing scrutiny over their labor practices in Kenya, Chinese AI firms are quietly building a network of low-cost workers. Recruitment happens informally via WhatsApp, with no contracts and immense pressure to perform.
According to a report by Rest of World, Chinese AI companies are increasingly recruiting Kenyan workers to label massive volumes of video data. The conditions are grueling: for shifts lasting up to 12 hours, workers—often students—earn as little as 700 Kenyan shillings, or about $5.42. With youth unemployment hitting 67 percent as of July 2025, many students and graduates feel they have no choice but to accept these terms. While the Kenyan government is working on regulations, current labor laws provide no safety net for these digital workers.
Unlike US corporations that typically rely on formal outsourcing partners, Chinese players operate through opaque networks. Work is organized in WhatsApp groups, payments are sent via the mobile service M-Pesa, and recruitment happens through Google Forms. According to the workers interviewed, formal contracts and benefits are non-existent. Employees often don't even know the name of the company they work for, dealing only with middlemen.
WhatsApp groups serve as high-pressure digital factory floors
The report describes immense pressure within these informal structures. During initial simulation phases, applicants must classify up to 20,000 video clips per day with 90 percent accuracy. Failing to meet the quota can result in the entire team being fired. In regular operations, the workload rises to 26,000 videos per person each day. One worker described the state required to handle this volume as a zombie-like trance. The WhatsApp groups function as digital factory floors, where performance rankings are posted daily to maintain constant pressure.
Payal Arora, a professor at Utrecht University, told Rest of World that these shadow supply chains make accountability nearly impossible. While US companies face increasing scrutiny, Chinese subcontractors operate largely under the radar. Joan Kinyua of the Data Labelers Association characterized the system as the absolute peak of digital colonialism.
Major US tech companies, including Meta, Google, and OpenAI, have faced their own criticism regarding outsourcing practices in Kenya. These corporations generally work with established firms like Sama or CloudFactory. In the past, these partnerships have sparked public protests and lawsuits, with local workers speaking out against low wages, traumatic content, and a toxic work culture.
