Karya differentiates itself from other data vendors by offering its contractors - mostly women, and mostly in rural communities - as much as 20 times the prevailing minimum wage.
Preethi, who goes by a single name, as is common in the region, is among the 70 workers hired in Agara and neighboring villages by a startup called Karya to gather text, voice and image data in India’s vernacular languages.
Some of the most prominent names in Silicon Valley are working with Manu Chopra s Karya to build AI tools that better support non-English speakers in India.
After three days of working with Karya, Preethi earned 4,500 rupees ($54), more than four times the amount the 22-year-old high school graduate usually makes as a tailor in an entire month.