The emerging industry centers on collecting so-called “egocentric data” — first-person recordings captured through head-mounted cameras, smart glasses and motion sensors that allow AI systems to learn how humans interact with physical environments.
In Chennai, 25-year-old homemaker Nagireddy Sriramyachandra spends part of her day filming routine household chores, including food preparation, for AI data company Objectways.

She earns about 250 rupees ($3) an hour for the recordings, which are uploaded through a specialized application and used to train robotic systems.
Developers believe that exposing AI models to large volumes of human behavioral data will help robots perform real-world tasks more effectively, particularly in domestic and industrial settings where navigation and object manipulation remain significant technological challenges.

Objectways, which operates in India and the United States and works with machine-learning platform Amazon SageMaker, collects videos requested by corporate clients seeking to train robotics systems for activities such as folding clothes, preparing beverages and performing basic kitchen tasks.

The business reflects growing investor interest in humanoid robotics. Morgan Stanley has projected that more than one billion humanoid robots could be in operation worldwide by 2050, primarily in commercial and industrial applications.
Objectways Chief Executive Ravi Shankar said automation would eventually assume responsibility for some routine jobs, allowing workers to focus on more advanced activities.

The company’s operations extend beyond homes. At a textile factory in Tamil Nadu’s Karur district, workers wearing smart glasses and head-mounted cameras record manufacturing processes while carrying out routine production work.

India has increasingly positioned itself as a global center for AI data collection, annotation and processing services, leveraging its large labor force and established technology sector.

Aditi Surie, a digital labor researcher at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements in Bengaluru, said demand for data collection services linked to AI development is likely to expand as companies seek increasingly sophisticated training datasets.

The rise of such work has also intensified debate over automation’s impact on employment in a country where informal labor remains a major component of the economy.

Government policy think tank NITI Aayog has warned that discussions surrounding artificial intelligence often focus on highly skilled workers while overlooking implications for India’s estimated 490 million informal workers.

Ahead of an international AI summit hosted by India this year, the institution examined how artificial intelligence could affect a wide range of occupations, including agricultural laborers, street vendors, cobblers and sanitation workers.

Among those participating in data collection projects is Ponni, a 55-year-old flower garland maker in Bengaluru who has spent years working in the informal economy. She has also been paid to wear a recording device while carrying out her daily activities.
She expressed concern that future workers engaged in similar occupations could face growing competition from automated systems trained on human-generated data.

At an Objectways recording studio, workers repeatedly film themselves performing household tasks in fully furnished mock apartments designed to generate varied training material. Employees record dozens of short clips daily while changing positions, angles and environments to increase the diversity of datasets supplied to clients.

Rani N., a 21-year-old engineering graduate employed as an AI system trainer, said she records roughly 90 videos each day, often repeating the same activity in different locations within a room.

Elsewhere, workers arrange objects such as water bottles, crayons and office supplies while specialized depth-sensing cameras capture movement and spatial relationships.

Qanat Consulting Services, a subcontractor based in Andhra Pradesh, supplies recordings to larger AI data firms through a network of around 2,000 contributors. Some participants wear motion-tracking bands on their hands, wrists and legs to provide more detailed movement information.

Other companies are expanding beyond visual data. Bengaluru-based Humyn Labs gathers audio recordings and conversations on assigned topics to help clients train systems capable of understanding speech patterns and human interaction.

Humyn Labs founder Manish Agarwal said he expects future workplaces to combine human expertise with robotic capabilities rather than replace workers entirely.

He said advances in robotics and artificial intelligence could eventually allow workers in one country to supervise automated systems operating thousands of kilometers away, creating new forms of cross-border employment.

Polling in five states and territories concluded over April and May, and early attention has focused on West Bengal, where the BJP mounted an intensive campaign to unseat Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of the All India Trinamool Congress, which has governed the state since 2011.

Exit polls released last week suggested a narrow edge for the BJP over the TMC, though such projections have historically proven unreliable in India. Political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty said the outcome in West Bengal could have wider national implications, describing the contest as one that could “tilt the balance of power.”

The campaign was marked by controversy over the removal of millions of names from electoral rolls, a move authorities described as targeting ineligible voters but which critics argued disproportionately affected marginalized and minority communities.

Banerjee expressed confidence ahead of the count, dismissing the BJP’s chances and urging supporters to remain patient. In contrast, West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya said the election reflected public demand for change and predicted a defeat for the ruling party.

Elsewhere, in Tamil Nadu, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam led by Chief Minister M. K. Stalin is widely expected to retain power. In Assam, the BJP is projected to maintain control, while in Puducherry, the party remains part of the governing coalition.In Kerala, exit polls indicate a closely contested race, with the Congress-led alliance seen as having an advantage over the incumbent Communist government.

The results are being closely watched as a gauge of Modi’s political standing amid ongoing economic and foreign policy challenges, including high unemployment and negotiations over a trade agreement with the United States.

Ishank began his swim from Talaimannar in Sri Lanka and reached Dhanushkodi in Tamil Nadu, India, after battling strong currents and changing sea conditions in the narrow but challenging stretch of water that separates the island nation from the Indian mainland.

The Palk Strait, known for its unpredictable tides and marine currents, has long been regarded as one of South Asia’s toughest open-water swimming routes, often attempted by trained endurance swimmers seeking to test physical and mental resilience.

According to reports, Ishank trained for the feat for several months at Ranchi’s Dhurwa Dam under the supervision of coaches and family members, spending several hours daily building stamina and adapting to long-distance swimming conditions despite Ranchi being far from any coastal environment.His parents said the preparation involved strict physical conditioning, early morning practice sessions and monitored endurance drills designed to prepare him for saltwater conditions and prolonged exposure at sea.

Officials associated with the swim said safety boats and a professional support team accompanied the child swimmer throughout the crossing to monitor weather conditions, hydration and fatigue during the nearly 10-hour effort.The achievement has drawn attention in Jharkhand, where local officials and sports enthusiasts praised the young swimmer’s discipline and endurance.

Open-water swimming remains a niche sport in India compared with cricket and athletics, but long-distance sea crossings have increasingly gained recognition through record-setting attempts by young athletes.

India has seen several high-profile endurance swims across channels such as the English Channel and the Palk Strait in recent years, with swimmers often using such feats to gain entry into national record books and international recognition.Ishank’s successful crossing adds to that growing list, placing the Ranchi schoolboy among the youngest athletes to complete the Sri Lanka-to-India route under supervised conditions.

Voting took place throughout April in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and the union territory of Puducherry, with attention centered on whether the BJP could expand its footprint in major opposition-held regions ahead of future national political contests.

Exit polls, while often used as early indicators in India, have a mixed record and final outcomes can differ significantly from projections.The most closely watched contest is in West Bengal, where the BJP mounted an aggressive campaign to unseat Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), which has governed the state since 2011.

Several exit polls suggested the BJP held a narrow advantage over the TMC, raising the possibility that Modi’s party could take power in the state of more than 100 million people for the first time.Banerjee’s TMC won 213 of the 294 seats in the 2021 assembly election, and the state has a history of electoral violence and intense political rivalry.

This year’s campaign was also marked by controversy over a Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls, a process authorities said was intended to remove ineligible voters, but which critics argued disproportionately affected marginalized and minority communities.

Political activist Yogendra Yadav said there was “no way” the TMC would lose in what he described as a fair election, alleging that the BJP could only prevail through manipulation of voter lists or counting irregularities.The BJP has denied opposition allegations of electoral malpractice.

In Assam and Puducherry, the BJP-led alliance was widely projected to retain power, reinforcing the party’s hold in regions where it already governs.In Tamil Nadu, one of India’s largest industrial states, exit polls indicated the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) led by Chief Minister M. K. Stalin was likely to remain in office.

The polls also suggested actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay, leading the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party, could emerge as a significant new challenger to the state’s established political parties.In Kerala, India’s only communist-ruled state, projections indicated a closely fought contest, with a Congress-led alliance expected to challenge the ruling Left Democratic Front.

Strong results for the BJP in the state elections would strengthen Modi’s political position as his government navigates economic pressures including high unemployment and negotiations over a pending trade deal with the United States.

The proposed investments will target urban development, electric mobility, renewable energy and public infrastructure, according to the agreement. The initiative is expected to support the creation of tens of thousands of jobs over the next three to five years, although timelines for capital deployment were not disclosed.

As part of the plan, Vingroup is evaluating the development of integrated townships spanning about 1,000 hectares near Mumbai, with a projected investment of roughly $5 billion.

In the electric mobility segment, the group aims to deploy a fleet of 60,000 electric taxis, representing an additional investment of around $1.5 billion.The move builds on Vingroup’s growing presence in India, where its electric vehicle unit VinFast already operates a manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu and has announced plans for a $3 billion ecosystem in Telangana.

Maharashtra accounts for approximately 14% of India’s gross domestic product and hosts a strong automotive manufacturing base, including major domestic players such as Mahindra and Mahindra and Tata Motors.