Creating AI jobs to help transform lives and reunite families in rural communities
A-Idol Initiative by Alipay Foundation, Alibaba AI Labs, and the China Women’s Development Foundation has helped eight poverty-stricken counties create hundreds of AI-related jobs
Qingjian, a small town in Shaanxi Province approximately 800 kilometers from the Chinese capital Beijing , is one of China’s most impoverished towns. Residents mainly survive on farming, from which they earn RMB1,200 a month on average.
It is a place that seems far removed from China’s booming artificial intelligence industry. However, in recent years, residents have been able to participate in new training programs to develop new digital skills and start new AI-related careers in data labeling and curating thanks to the “A-Idol Initiative”.
Co-developed by Alipay Foundation, Alibaba AI Labs, and the China Women’s Development Foundation (CWDF), the A-Idol Initiative launched in late 2019 aims to bring employment opportunities in the field of artificial intelligence to underdeveloped areas in China,with a focus on prioritizing these opportunities for women.
Qingjian was selected as one of the first regions to benefit from the A-Idol Initiative pilot program. With the support of the local government, the Qingjian A-Idol Company was founded in December 2019 to offer employees training in skills that support artificial intelligence.
Bai Yingying, one of the earliest employees at the Qingjian A-Idol Company, says taking part in the initiative has transformed her life.
A mother of two, the Qingjian native had limited past work experience and basic computer skills, and she had never heard of “data labeling” before. But she found that this was not a problem if one is willing to learn.
“I can earn RMB3,000–RMB4,000 a month, and what’s more, working in the tech industry opens a new window for me,” said Bai with a big smile on her face.
All employees are required to take the Alibaba AI Labs training course on data labeling and curation. For Bai, learning these new skills required a huge amount of effort. But after passing the final exam, she took on the role of data labeler.
Data labeling and curating are imperative to machine learning and the development of AI. Data labeling provides more accurate and better labeled data, leading to smarter AI algorithms.
For instance, manually labeling the various characteristics of a cat, such as annotating its head, eyes, and different parts of its nose, gradually improves an AI algorithm’s ability to identify the feline in images.
Of the about 120 employees at the Qingjian A-Idol Company, many have similar experiences to Bai, having changed their lives by providing work in the AI industry.
This new industry has also attracted many young people to return home to Qingjian from China’s big cities.
For many decades, it has been a common practice for people must leave their family and farms behind to secure better employment elsewhere, so having jobs close to their homes is a rarity for many locals in China’s less-developed regions.
Qiang Juanmei is a typical example. For a longtime, the 31-year-old could only find work in Xi’an, the capital city of Shaanxi Province.
That meant she had to be separated from and could not look after her 5-year-old daughter who was in Qingjian, which is 400-kilometers and 6-hours away by train.
After joining Qingjian A-Idol Company, Qiang found she could be both economically self-sufficient and return home to look after her daughter and family.
“In addition to a decent job and a higher income, it gives me more time to spend with my family. I am very satisfied,” said Qiang.
Tao Yu, General Manager of Qingjian A-Idol Company, shared a similar life experience. Having worked in Zhuhai in China’s southern Guangdong Province, for many years, Tao returned to his hometown in Qingjian.
“In the past, if you wanted to have a better career and income, going out seemed to be the only option, and about 40% of our employees used to work in other cities. But now you can have a promising job at home,” said Yu.
The first phase of the A-Idol Initiative has already reached eight poverty-stricken counties across China, including Wanshan county in Guizhou province and Yonghe county in Shanxi province, and offers employees an average monthly salary of more than RMB3,000.
This year, the A-Idol Initiative is expected to be rolled out in more places across China and aims to recruit more than 1,200 new employees, further helping poverty-stricken areas develop their own digital industry.
For more stories and news about Alipay, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
