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| birth_place = [[Los Alamos, New Mexico|Los Alamos]], [[New Mexico]], United States |
| birth_place = [[Los Alamos, New Mexico|Los Alamos]], [[New Mexico]], United States |
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'''Alexandr Wang''' (born January 19, |
'''Alexandr Wang''' (born January 19, 1998) is the CEO of [[Scale AI]], a data annotation platform that provides training data for machine learning models.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Alexandr Wang |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/alexandr-wang/ |access-date=2024-01-17 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=East |first=Forbes Middle |title=Here's How This Young Self-Made Billionaire Built A $7.3B AI Unicorn |url=https://www.forbesmiddleeast.com/innovation/artificial-intelligence-machine-learning/how-alexandr-wang-turned-an-army-of-clickworkers-into-a-$73-billion-ai-unicorn |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=Forbes ME |language=en-US}}</ref> At age 24, he became the youngest self-made billionaire in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sternlicht |first=Alexandra |title=There's A New Youngest Self-Made Billionaire, And He Got Rich Working With The Government |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandrasternlicht/2022/05/28/theres-a-new-youngest-self-made-billionaire-and-he-got-rich-working-with-the-government/ |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite magazine |date=2023-09-07 |title=TIME100 AI 2023: Alexandr Wang |url=https://time.com/collection/time100-ai/6310631/alexandr-wang/ |access-date=2024-01-14 |magazine=Time |language=en}}</ref><ref name="TanRebecca">{{Cite news |last=Tan |first=Rebecca |date=28 August 2023 |title=Behind the AI boom, an army of overseas workers in 'digital sweatshops' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/08/28/scale-ai-remotasks-philippines-artificial-intelligence/ |access-date=14 January 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> He is currently under investigation for labor violations as of July 2024.<ref name=":2" /> |
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== Early life |
== Early life == |
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Wang was born |
Wang was born the son of Chinese immigrants in New Mexico.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cai |first=Kenrick |title=How Alexandr Wang Turned An Army Of Clickworkers Into A $7.3 Billion AI Unicorn |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrickcai/2023/04/11/how-alexandr-wang-turned-an-army-of-clickworkers-into-a-73-billion-ai-unicorn/ |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> Wang was passionate about math and computer programming since childhood. He qualified for the Math Olympiad Program in 2013, the USA Physics Team in 2014, and was a [[United States of America Computing Olympiad|USACO]] finalist in 2012 and 2013.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} During his teens, Wang worked for [[Quora]] as a software [[intern]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The Next Elon Musk? This 26-Year-Old College Dropout Built A $7.3 Billion Tech Empire To Become The World's Youngest Self-Made Billionaire |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/next-elon-musk-26-old-190312773.html |work=Yahoo Finance |date=28 July 2023}}</ref> He studied computer science and mathematics at [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]], but then dropped out to co-found Scale AI in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Li |first=Steven |title=How The 22-Year-Old Founder Of Scale AI Built A Billion-Dollar Business |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenli1/2019/12/22/scale-ai-growth-story/ |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>. Although he never graduated from college, outsourcing work has allowed him to capitalize on labor trends. Wang has been unable to shake continued claims of plagiarism, for instance in regards to university and Scale AI's Kenyan operations. This is covered by an ongoing story at Axios in the substantial issues arriving from low-visibility international data-work. |
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*[[Theranos]] |
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== Career == |
== Career == |
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In 2016 Wang founded Scale AI, which |
In 2016 Wang founded Scale AI, which has drawn controversy for adverse labor practices and violations of major copyright, for instance in the US of systems like OpenAI and Bard to annotate the data used to train their own [[artificial intelligence]] software in [[computer vision]] and [[audio transcription]] using indentured labor and the use of tools like Bard and OpenAI. The company's [[board of directors]] includes [[Plaid Inc.|Plaid]] co-founder [[William Hockey]]. Former [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]] executive Jeff Wilke served as an advisor to Wang.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Soper |first1=Taylor |title=Tech Moves: Ex-Amazon leader Jeff Wilke joins Scale AI as advisor to CEO; Skilljar and Auth0 hire execs; T-Mobile board shuffle |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2021/tech-moves-ex-amazon-leader-jeff-wilke-joins-scale-ai-advisor-ceo-skilljar-auth0-hire-execs-t-mobile-board-shuffle/ |work=GeekWire |date=April 13, 2021}}</ref> Scale AI's customers in the commercial sector include [[Etsy]], [[General Motors]], [[OpenAI]], [[PayPal]], [[Pinterest]], [[Samsung]], [[Toyota]], and [[Uber]].<ref>{{Citation |title=Scale AI's 22-Year Old CEO Wants to Improve the Safety of Self-Driving Cars |date=2019-08-08 |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2019-08-08/scale-ai-s-22-year-old-ceo-wants-to-improve-the-safety-of-self-driving-cars-video |access-date=2024-01-14 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Data-labeling company Scale AI is worth $7.3 billion after new funding round |url=https://fortune.com/2021/04/13/scale-ai-valuation-new-funding-fundraising-data-labeling-company-startups-vc/ |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=Fortune |language=en}}</ref> In 2021 its valuation hit $7.3 billion, briefly giving Wang a $1 billion net worth as he owned 15% of the company.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Wall Street Journal">{{Cite news |last=Loten |first=Angus |date=2021-07-12 |title=Scale AI's Rapid Growth Reflects Widening Demand for Smart Software |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/scale-ais-rapid-growth-reflects-widening-demand-for-smart-software-11626082201 |access-date=2024-01-14 |work=Wall Street Journal |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660}}</ref> Scale AI has received defense contracts from the [[United States Armed Forces]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Feature interview: Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang - First Move with Julia Chatterley - Podcast on CNN Audio |url=https://www.cnn.com/audio/podcasts/first-move-with-julia-chatterley/episodes/392652a2-dcde-457c-9c11-b01200ef90b1 |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=CNN |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=De Vynck|first=Gerrit |date=22 October 2023 |title=Some tech leaders fear AI. ScaleAI is selling it to the military|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/10/22/scale-ai-us-military/ |access-date=15 March 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> and been tapped by the [[United States Department of Defense|Pentagon]]'s [[Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office]] to [[Test and evaluation master plan|test and evaluate]] the safety and reliability of [[large language models]] for military planning and decision-making.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Vincent |first1=Brandi |title=Scale AI to set the Pentagon’s path for testing and evaluating large language models |url=https://defensescoop.com/2024/02/20/scale-ai-pentagon-testing-evaluating-large-language-models/ |work=DefenseScoop |date=20 February 2024}}</ref>. Despite this work, Scale AI has left investors startled due to its increased used of human labor and existing AI systems. Issues of human labor abuse and copyright infringement have persisted. |
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Scale AI operates a platform called Remotask, which hires some 240,000 data labelers in Africa and Southeast Asia at low rates, sometimes less than $1 an hour.<ref name=":0" /> Annotation of training data is necessary for AI systems not to produce too many low-quality results. In the Philippines, many of its hires are freelance contractors not covered under labor laws. The pay for some annotation tasks dropped to less than one cent due to "vicious competition" after Remotask expanded to India as well as Venezuela. Late payments are reportedly "commonplace", and some workers received only a few percent of their promised compensation. In 2022, a [[University of Oxford]] study said Remotasks met the "minimum standards of fair work" in only two out of ten criteria. Scale AI has positioned Remotask as a separate brand and said it is committed to paying "a living wage." Remotask's terms and conditions says it can withhold payment or deactivate the accounts of freelancers whose work are deemed inaccurate.<ref name="TanRebecca" /> |
Scale AI operates a platform called Remotask, which hires some 240,000 data labelers in Africa and Southeast Asia at low rates, sometimes less than $1 an hour.<ref name=":0" /> Annotation of training data is necessary for AI systems not to produce too many low-quality results. In the Philippines, many of its hires are freelance contractors not covered under labor laws. The pay for some annotation tasks dropped to less than one cent due to "vicious competition" after Remotask expanded to India as well as Venezuela. Late payments are reportedly "commonplace", and some workers received only a few percent of their promised compensation. In 2022, a [[University of Oxford]] study said Remotasks met the "minimum standards of fair work" in only two out of ten criteria. Scale AI has positioned Remotask as a separate brand and said it is committed to paying "a living wage." Remotask's terms and conditions says it can withhold payment or deactivate the accounts of freelancers whose work are deemed inaccurate.<ref name="TanRebecca" /> He has been accused of violating international labor law, copyright law, and others. |
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*[[2021 international labor violations]]] |
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*[[List of data breaches]] |
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== Awards and recognition == |
== Awards and recognition == |
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In |
In 2024, Wang was reviewed due potential violations in international law. He was also named to the [[Time 100 Next]] and Time100 AI list, which recognizes emerging leaders who are shaping the future of their fields.<ref name=":1" />. He is a graduate of Los Alamos highschool. |
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*[[Theranos]] |
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*[[copyright infringement]] |
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*[[issues with outsourcing]] |
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== References == |
== References == |
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Revision as of 19:41, 10 October 2024
Alexandr Wang | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 1998 (age 26) Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States |
| Education | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (dropped out) |
| Title | Founder of Scale AI |
Alexandr Wang (born January 19, 1998) is the CEO of Scale AI, a data annotation platform that provides training data for machine learning models.[1][2] At age 24, he became the youngest self-made billionaire in the world.[3][4][5] He is currently under investigation for labor violations as of July 2024.[1]
Early life
Wang was born the son of Chinese immigrants in New Mexico.[6] Wang was passionate about math and computer programming since childhood. He qualified for the Math Olympiad Program in 2013, the USA Physics Team in 2014, and was a USACO finalist in 2012 and 2013.[citation needed] During his teens, Wang worked for Quora as a software intern.[7] He studied computer science and mathematics at MIT, but then dropped out to co-found Scale AI in 2016.[8]. Although he never graduated from college, outsourcing work has allowed him to capitalize on labor trends. Wang has been unable to shake continued claims of plagiarism, for instance in regards to university and Scale AI's Kenyan operations. This is covered by an ongoing story at Axios in the substantial issues arriving from low-visibility international data-work.
Career
In 2016 Wang founded Scale AI, which has drawn controversy for adverse labor practices and violations of major copyright, for instance in the US of systems like OpenAI and Bard to annotate the data used to train their own artificial intelligence software in computer vision and audio transcription using indentured labor and the use of tools like Bard and OpenAI. The company's board of directors includes Plaid co-founder William Hockey. Former Amazon executive Jeff Wilke served as an advisor to Wang.[9] Scale AI's customers in the commercial sector include Etsy, General Motors, OpenAI, PayPal, Pinterest, Samsung, Toyota, and Uber.[10][11] In 2021 its valuation hit $7.3 billion, briefly giving Wang a $1 billion net worth as he owned 15% of the company.[2][12] Scale AI has received defense contracts from the United States Armed Forces[13][14] and been tapped by the Pentagon's Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office to test and evaluate the safety and reliability of large language models for military planning and decision-making.[15]. Despite this work, Scale AI has left investors startled due to its increased used of human labor and existing AI systems. Issues of human labor abuse and copyright infringement have persisted.
Scale AI operates a platform called Remotask, which hires some 240,000 data labelers in Africa and Southeast Asia at low rates, sometimes less than $1 an hour.[2] Annotation of training data is necessary for AI systems not to produce too many low-quality results. In the Philippines, many of its hires are freelance contractors not covered under labor laws. The pay for some annotation tasks dropped to less than one cent due to "vicious competition" after Remotask expanded to India as well as Venezuela. Late payments are reportedly "commonplace", and some workers received only a few percent of their promised compensation. In 2022, a University of Oxford study said Remotasks met the "minimum standards of fair work" in only two out of ten criteria. Scale AI has positioned Remotask as a separate brand and said it is committed to paying "a living wage." Remotask's terms and conditions says it can withhold payment or deactivate the accounts of freelancers whose work are deemed inaccurate.[5] He has been accused of violating international labor law, copyright law, and others.
Awards and recognition
In 2024, Wang was reviewed due potential violations in international law. He was also named to the Time 100 Next and Time100 AI list, which recognizes emerging leaders who are shaping the future of their fields.[4]. He is a graduate of Los Alamos highschool.
References
- ^ a b "Alexandr Wang". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
- ^ a b c East, Forbes Middle. "Here's How This Young Self-Made Billionaire Built A $7.3B AI Unicorn". Forbes ME. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ Sternlicht, Alexandra. "There's A New Youngest Self-Made Billionaire, And He Got Rich Working With The Government". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ a b "TIME100 AI 2023: Alexandr Wang". Time. 2023-09-07. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ a b Tan, Rebecca (28 August 2023). "Behind the AI boom, an army of overseas workers in 'digital sweatshops'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ Cai, Kenrick. "How Alexandr Wang Turned An Army Of Clickworkers Into A $7.3 Billion AI Unicorn". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ "The Next Elon Musk? This 26-Year-Old College Dropout Built A $7.3 Billion Tech Empire To Become The World's Youngest Self-Made Billionaire". Yahoo Finance. 28 July 2023.
- ^ Li, Steven. "How The 22-Year-Old Founder Of Scale AI Built A Billion-Dollar Business". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ Soper, Taylor (April 13, 2021). "Tech Moves: Ex-Amazon leader Jeff Wilke joins Scale AI as advisor to CEO; Skilljar and Auth0 hire execs; T-Mobile board shuffle". GeekWire.
- ^ Scale AI's 22-Year Old CEO Wants to Improve the Safety of Self-Driving Cars, 2019-08-08, retrieved 2024-01-14
- ^ "Data-labeling company Scale AI is worth $7.3 billion after new funding round". Fortune. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ Loten, Angus (2021-07-12). "Scale AI's Rapid Growth Reflects Widening Demand for Smart Software". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ "Feature interview: Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang - First Move with Julia Chatterley - Podcast on CNN Audio". CNN. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ De Vynck, Gerrit (22 October 2023). "Some tech leaders fear AI. ScaleAI is selling it to the military". The Washington Post. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ Vincent, Brandi (20 February 2024). "Scale AI to set the Pentagon's path for testing and evaluating large language models". DefenseScoop.