Gayathri Vaidyanathan
@gayathriv.bsky.social
Labor x Tech Editor @restofworld.org, covering how tech is transforming the way we work, especially outside the west. Ideas & tips: gayathri@restofworld.org.
Microsoft, Google say data centers will create thousands of jobs in Chile. But @restofworld's analysis of permit filings show the largest data centers have the potential to create only hundreds of full time jobs, mostly in security and cleaning. By Laura Salamanca. restofworld.org/2025/data-ce...
Microsoft, Google say their data centers create thousands of jobs. Their permit filings say otherwise
Chile and tech giants promise economy-wide impact but permits show fewer onsite jobs after construction.
restofworld.org
November 7, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Microsoft, Google say data centers will create thousands of jobs in Chile. But @restofworld's analysis of permit filings show the largest data centers have the potential to create only hundreds of full time jobs, mostly in security and cleaning. By Laura Salamanca. restofworld.org/2025/data-ce...
Reposted by Gayathri Vaidyanathan
Google’s Flood Hub uses AI to deliver flood warnings in Bangladesh five days in advance, compared to the three days afforded by conventional models. The forecasts could be used by nonprofits to deliver early aid to the flood-affected.
This story was first published by @restofworld.org.
This story was first published by @restofworld.org.
AI Forecasts Unlock Aid for Farmers Before Floods Strike
Using Google’s Flood Hub, a nonprofit trial program sends early warning and unconditional cash to workers.
www.thexylom.com
October 29, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Google’s Flood Hub uses AI to deliver flood warnings in Bangladesh five days in advance, compared to the three days afforded by conventional models. The forecasts could be used by nonprofits to deliver early aid to the flood-affected.
This story was first published by @restofworld.org.
This story was first published by @restofworld.org.
Jack spent years training to become a K-pop star. Crushed by the industry’s harsh beauty standards and fierce competition, he spiraled into insecurity. Now virtual reality has given him a second chance at stardom. Story by Michelle Kim in @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/metaver...
The metaverse is rewriting the rules of who can be a K-pop star
In an industry studded with megastars like BTS and Blackpink, virtual idols are building powerful new fandoms even while their true identities remain obscured.
restofworld.org
October 27, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Jack spent years training to become a K-pop star. Crushed by the industry’s harsh beauty standards and fierce competition, he spiraled into insecurity. Now virtual reality has given him a second chance at stardom. Story by Michelle Kim in @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/metaver...
Inside Amazon’s Plans to Replace Workers With Robots
As it leads the way for automation, warehousing and delivery roles could become more technical, higher paid and more scarce. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/t...
As it leads the way for automation, warehousing and delivery roles could become more technical, higher paid and more scarce. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/t...
Inside Amazon’s Plans to Replace Workers With Robots
www.nytimes.com
October 21, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Inside Amazon’s Plans to Replace Workers With Robots
As it leads the way for automation, warehousing and delivery roles could become more technical, higher paid and more scarce. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/t...
As it leads the way for automation, warehousing and delivery roles could become more technical, higher paid and more scarce. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/t...
Japan faces a worker shortage as its population ages, and the country has been cautious about expanding immigration. Telexistence’s bots offer a workaround, allowing physical labor to be offshored. -- by Michael Beltran in @restofworld.org
Japanese convenience stores are hiring robots run by workers in the Philippines
Filipino tele-operators remotely control Japan’s convenience store robots and train AI, benefiting from an uptick in automation-related jobs.
restofworld.org
October 21, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Japan faces a worker shortage as its population ages, and the country has been cautious about expanding immigration. Telexistence’s bots offer a workaround, allowing physical labor to be offshored. -- by Michael Beltran in @restofworld.org
Reposted by Gayathri Vaidyanathan
“Inside a multistory office building in Manila’s financial district, around 60 young men and women monitored and controlled artificial intelligence robots restocking convenience store shelves in distant Japan.”
Japanese convenience stores are hiring robots run by workers in the Philippines
Filipino tele-operators remotely control Japan’s convenience store robots and train AI, benefiting from an uptick in automation-related jobs.
restofworld.org
October 20, 2025 at 8:02 PM
“Inside a multistory office building in Manila’s financial district, around 60 young men and women monitored and controlled artificial intelligence robots restocking convenience store shelves in distant Japan.”
Meta suppressed research that might have illuminated potential safety risks to children and teens on the company’s virtual reality devices and apps. . the company deployed its legal team to screen, edit and sometimes veto internal research about youth safety www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
Meta suppressed research on child safety, employees say
The company’s lawyers intervened to shape research that might have shed light on risks in virtual reality, four current and former staffers have told Congress. Meta denies the allegations.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 11, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Meta suppressed research that might have illuminated potential safety risks to children and teens on the company’s virtual reality devices and apps. . the company deployed its legal team to screen, edit and sometimes veto internal research about youth safety www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
Reposted by Gayathri Vaidyanathan
“What older adults fear is not death. ‘I’ve lived long enough,’ they tell us. What they fear the most is loneliness.”
AI robot dolls are helping South Korea’s seniors feel less alone
https://restofworld.org/2025/korea-ai-robot-senior-care-hyodol
AI robot dolls are helping South Korea’s seniors feel less alone
https://restofworld.org/2025/korea-ai-robot-senior-care-hyodol
August 27, 2025 at 5:01 PM
“What older adults fear is not death. ‘I’ve lived long enough,’ they tell us. What they fear the most is loneliness.”
AI robot dolls are helping South Korea’s seniors feel less alone
https://restofworld.org/2025/korea-ai-robot-senior-care-hyodol
AI robot dolls are helping South Korea’s seniors feel less alone
https://restofworld.org/2025/korea-ai-robot-senior-care-hyodol
Reposted by Gayathri Vaidyanathan
AI chatbots are starting to replace the low-wage workers, known as “chatters,” who impersonate OnlyFans stars in direct messaging with fans. Chatters say that rising sales quotas have made their work more stressful and exhausting
https://restofworld.org/2025/onlyfans-ai-dm-bots
https://restofworld.org/2025/onlyfans-ai-dm-bots
August 21, 2025 at 1:01 PM
AI chatbots are starting to replace the low-wage workers, known as “chatters,” who impersonate OnlyFans stars in direct messaging with fans. Chatters say that rising sales quotas have made their work more stressful and exhausting
https://restofworld.org/2025/onlyfans-ai-dm-bots
https://restofworld.org/2025/onlyfans-ai-dm-bots
A hidden network handles chats for OnlyFans stars. AI could take over -- but maybe, not yet. “We keyboard smash, intentionally misspell, and use Gen Z slang. I don’t think AI is at that level of flirting yet” -- by Michael Beltran in @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/onlyfan...
A hidden network handles chats for OnlyFans stars. AI could soon take over
Impersonators for OnlyFans models said their sales quotas are soaring, and once AI improves, they could be out of work.
restofworld.org
August 20, 2025 at 12:50 PM
A hidden network handles chats for OnlyFans stars. AI could take over -- but maybe, not yet. “We keyboard smash, intentionally misspell, and use Gen Z slang. I don’t think AI is at that level of flirting yet” -- by Michael Beltran in @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/onlyfan...
The UAE plans to become the world’s testing ground for autonomous vehicles and upend the lives of 30,000 cabbies in the process. Amar Diwakar in @restofworld.org
restofworld.org/2025/uae-rob...
restofworld.org/2025/uae-rob...
Dubai’s robotaxi dreams are coming for human drivers
The UAE plans to become the world’s testing ground for autonomous vehicles and upend the lives of 30,000 cabbies in the process.
restofworld.org
August 13, 2025 at 2:58 PM
The UAE plans to become the world’s testing ground for autonomous vehicles and upend the lives of 30,000 cabbies in the process. Amar Diwakar in @restofworld.org
restofworld.org/2025/uae-rob...
restofworld.org/2025/uae-rob...
Reposted by Gayathri Vaidyanathan
This is the giant Canary in the coal mine of what AI will do to education. Improperly adopted, it will destroy critical thinking and educational attainment.
For the oligarchs, this is a feature of AI, not a bug.
restofworld.org/2025/colombi...
For the oligarchs, this is a feature of AI, not a bug.
restofworld.org/2025/colombi...
Meta brought AI to rural Colombia. Now students are failing exams
When Meta embedded AI bots in its apps, even students in the most remote corners of Colombia gained access. But rather than boosting learning, it’s getting in the way.
restofworld.org
August 4, 2025 at 3:46 PM
This is the giant Canary in the coal mine of what AI will do to education. Improperly adopted, it will destroy critical thinking and educational attainment.
For the oligarchs, this is a feature of AI, not a bug.
restofworld.org/2025/colombi...
For the oligarchs, this is a feature of AI, not a bug.
restofworld.org/2025/colombi...
Drones, AI and robot pickers: meet the fully autonomous farm www.wsj.com/tech/autonom...
Drones, AI and Robot Pickers: Meet the Fully Autonomous Farm
New technologies are paving the way for farms that can run themselves, with minimal human input
www.wsj.com
July 16, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Drones, AI and robot pickers: meet the fully autonomous farm www.wsj.com/tech/autonom...
Reposted by Gayathri Vaidyanathan
Scarred by long hours, low pay, and a hostile work culture, many chip workers for Samsung are leaving for competitors, including American companies.
Michelle Kim's reporting from Seoul for @restofworld.org
restofworld.org/2025/samsung...
Michelle Kim's reporting from Seoul for @restofworld.org
restofworld.org/2025/samsung...
Samsung is desperate to compete on chips. Workers say it comes at a cost.
Scarred by long hours, low pay, and a hostile work culture, many chip workers are leaving for competitors, including American companies.
restofworld.org
June 16, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Scarred by long hours, low pay, and a hostile work culture, many chip workers for Samsung are leaving for competitors, including American companies.
Michelle Kim's reporting from Seoul for @restofworld.org
restofworld.org/2025/samsung...
Michelle Kim's reporting from Seoul for @restofworld.org
restofworld.org/2025/samsung...
Reposted by Gayathri Vaidyanathan
A record number of people are leaving the Philippines to work in Taiwanese semiconductor factories, where they face long shifts, low pay, unequal treatment and the threat of deportation, report Hsiuwen Liu and @michaelbeltran.bsky.social for @restofworld.org
restofworld.org/2025/filipin...
restofworld.org/2025/filipin...
Workers describe abusive treatment in Taiwan’s semiconductor factories
A record number of people are leaving the Philippines to work in Taiwanese factories, where they face long shifts, low pay, and unequal treatment.
restofworld.org
June 4, 2025 at 12:53 PM
A record number of people are leaving the Philippines to work in Taiwanese semiconductor factories, where they face long shifts, low pay, unequal treatment and the threat of deportation, report Hsiuwen Liu and @michaelbeltran.bsky.social for @restofworld.org
restofworld.org/2025/filipin...
restofworld.org/2025/filipin...
Reposted by Gayathri Vaidyanathan
Your next boss might be an app.
Read @gayathriv.bsky.social on how VC money is fueling a global boom in worker surveillance tech
restofworld.org/2025/employe...
Read @gayathriv.bsky.social on how VC money is fueling a global boom in worker surveillance tech
restofworld.org/2025/employe...
VC money is fueling a global boom in worker surveillance tech
A funding surge has given rise to technologies to track, analyze and manage workers — often in countries with little regulation.
restofworld.org
June 3, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Your next boss might be an app.
Read @gayathriv.bsky.social on how VC money is fueling a global boom in worker surveillance tech
restofworld.org/2025/employe...
Read @gayathriv.bsky.social on how VC money is fueling a global boom in worker surveillance tech
restofworld.org/2025/employe...
Reposted by Gayathri Vaidyanathan
In Dubai’s AI gold rush, tech workers from the West are often headhunted for top positions at high salaries. Experienced AI experts from South Asia and Ukraine fill the lower ranks, for lower pay.
Our new story:
restofworld.org/2025/golden-...
Our new story:
restofworld.org/2025/golden-...
In Dubai’s AI job market, your passport matters
Western job seekers see lucrative offers in the booming AI hub, while others deal with rejections and lower pay.
restofworld.org
May 29, 2025 at 1:47 PM
In Dubai’s AI gold rush, tech workers from the West are often headhunted for top positions at high salaries. Experienced AI experts from South Asia and Ukraine fill the lower ranks, for lower pay.
Our new story:
restofworld.org/2025/golden-...
Our new story:
restofworld.org/2025/golden-...
Reposted by Gayathri Vaidyanathan
Taiwan has recruited a record number of people from nearby nations to meet the surge in demand for chips for AI. These workers are usually represented by brokers, who have so much control over their lives that many migrants feel trapped and exploited
restofworld.org/2025/taiwan-...
restofworld.org/2025/taiwan-...
Taiwan’s chip plants run on migrant workers. Job brokers run their lives
In Taiwan’s AI-fueled chip boom, brokers control everything from paychecks to dorm beds, leaving workers feeling trapped and exploited.
restofworld.org
May 28, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Taiwan has recruited a record number of people from nearby nations to meet the surge in demand for chips for AI. These workers are usually represented by brokers, who have so much control over their lives that many migrants feel trapped and exploited
restofworld.org/2025/taiwan-...
restofworld.org/2025/taiwan-...
Reposted by Gayathri Vaidyanathan
Byju Raveendran, India’s edtech titan, is facing a $533M fraud scandal. From Dubai, the enigmatic founder of Byju’s recounts how he made his empire — and vows to rebuild it. @yudhijit.bsky.social reports for @restofworld.org
restofworld.org/2025/byjus-o...
restofworld.org/2025/byjus-o...
The math tutor and the missing $533 million
From Dubai, the enigmatic founder of Byju’s recounts how he made his empire — and vows to rebuild it.
restofworld.org
May 27, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Byju Raveendran, India’s edtech titan, is facing a $533M fraud scandal. From Dubai, the enigmatic founder of Byju’s recounts how he made his empire — and vows to rebuild it. @yudhijit.bsky.social reports for @restofworld.org
restofworld.org/2025/byjus-o...
restofworld.org/2025/byjus-o...
Reposted by Gayathri Vaidyanathan
Speaking of scams: @restofworld.org reports that young Indonesians who think they are applying for tech jobs are being trafficked to scam farms, where they are forced to use AI-generated deepfakes, voice clones, and other tech to con people out of their savings. restofworld.org/2025/fake-jo...
AI scam factories force trafficked workers to defraud global victims
“Every day, for eight months, I deceived people”; Americans alone lost $12.5 billion last year to these sophisticated online cons.
restofworld.org
May 21, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Speaking of scams: @restofworld.org reports that young Indonesians who think they are applying for tech jobs are being trafficked to scam farms, where they are forced to use AI-generated deepfakes, voice clones, and other tech to con people out of their savings. restofworld.org/2025/fake-jo...
Reposted by Gayathri Vaidyanathan
I'm not Indonesian but I live in SEA and KEEP getting these really weird tech interview offers. I always ask them to email if they are serious, and either they disappear, and the next day, the account is deleted, or they say "later, after you've interviewed, we'll email"
Young Indonesians are increasingly falling for fraudulent job ads on Telegram and Facebook, and getting trafficked to scam farms in Southeast Asia. Once there, they are forced to use AI to con people into parting with their life savings
restofworld.org/2025/fake-jo...
restofworld.org/2025/fake-jo...
How phony job ads on Facebook and Telegram lure tech workers to scam compounds
Young Indonesians looking for jobs abroad are trafficked to fortified scam centers, where they are forced to weaponize AI chatbots and deepfakes.
restofworld.org
May 20, 2025 at 9:49 PM
I'm not Indonesian but I live in SEA and KEEP getting these really weird tech interview offers. I always ask them to email if they are serious, and either they disappear, and the next day, the account is deleted, or they say "later, after you've interviewed, we'll email"
Reposted by Gayathri Vaidyanathan
Young Indonesians are increasingly falling for fraudulent job ads on Telegram and Facebook, and getting trafficked to scam farms in Southeast Asia. Once there, they are forced to use AI to con people into parting with their life savings
restofworld.org/2025/fake-jo...
restofworld.org/2025/fake-jo...
How phony job ads on Facebook and Telegram lure tech workers to scam compounds
Young Indonesians looking for jobs abroad are trafficked to fortified scam centers, where they are forced to weaponize AI chatbots and deepfakes.
restofworld.org
May 20, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Young Indonesians are increasingly falling for fraudulent job ads on Telegram and Facebook, and getting trafficked to scam farms in Southeast Asia. Once there, they are forced to use AI to con people into parting with their life savings
restofworld.org/2025/fake-jo...
restofworld.org/2025/fake-jo...
Progress does not have to involve gobbling up all the content on the internet and hiring marginalized workers to process it -
@_KarenHao, author of Empire of AI (out soon!).
Here's a Q&A with @michelletomkim - restofworld.org/2025/karen-h...
@_KarenHao, author of Empire of AI (out soon!).
Here's a Q&A with @michelletomkim - restofworld.org/2025/karen-h...
Why AI advancement doesn’t have to come at the expense of marginalized workers
In her new book, Empire of AI, Karen Hao insists that AI companies don’t have to choose between exploiting workers and chasing growth.
restofworld.org
May 19, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Progress does not have to involve gobbling up all the content on the internet and hiring marginalized workers to process it -
@_KarenHao, author of Empire of AI (out soon!).
Here's a Q&A with @michelletomkim - restofworld.org/2025/karen-h...
@_KarenHao, author of Empire of AI (out soon!).
Here's a Q&A with @michelletomkim - restofworld.org/2025/karen-h...
Reposted by Gayathri Vaidyanathan
Robot chefs are replacing humans at some South Korean restaurants. Tech companies say robots can help solve labor shortages in the aging country, but workers say they've been demoted from chefs to cleaning staff, and diners are complaining about the food.
Full story: restofworld.org/2025/robot-c...
Full story: restofworld.org/2025/robot-c...
Robot chefs take over at South Korea’s highway restaurants, to mixed reviews
Automation is posed as a labor shortage solution, but workers say robots are making their jobs — and food — worse.
restofworld.org
May 14, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Robot chefs are replacing humans at some South Korean restaurants. Tech companies say robots can help solve labor shortages in the aging country, but workers say they've been demoted from chefs to cleaning staff, and diners are complaining about the food.
Full story: restofworld.org/2025/robot-c...
Full story: restofworld.org/2025/robot-c...
Reposted by Gayathri Vaidyanathan
Facing a penalty for data breaches, Meta is threatening to pull WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram from Nigeria
New from @tarykuh.bsky.social:
restofworld.org/2025/meta-ni...
New from @tarykuh.bsky.social:
restofworld.org/2025/meta-ni...
What Meta’s dispute in Nigeria means for its millions of users
Facing a penalty for data breaches, the social media giant is threatening to pull WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram from Africa's most populous nation.
restofworld.org
May 7, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Facing a penalty for data breaches, Meta is threatening to pull WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram from Nigeria
New from @tarykuh.bsky.social:
restofworld.org/2025/meta-ni...
New from @tarykuh.bsky.social:
restofworld.org/2025/meta-ni...