DiPLab’s Antonio Casilli on Le Iene (11 Jan 2026)
Antonio Casilli, professor and researcher at DiPLab, appeared in a recent
episode of Le Iene, Italy’s well-known investigative television program, as part
of an in-depth report on the working conditions of people who train artificial
intelligence systems in Nairobi, Kenya.
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The report focuses on the human infrastructure behind AI technologies: men and
women who label data, moderate content, and refine algorithms, often working for
major multinational companies under precarious conditions. Casilli contributed
his analysis to help contextualize this hidden economy and explain the
structural dynamics that shape it.
A significant part of the investigation takes place in Nairobi, Kenya, where
many of these tasks are outsourced. The report documents how local workers are
employed to train algorithms for low pay, performing repetitive and
psychologically demanding work that makes AI systems appear more “intelligent.”
Through on-the-ground reporting and interviews, journalist Nicola Barraco
examines the economic and human costs embedded in today’s AI supply chains.
Casilli’s intervention situates these testimonies within a broader critique of
the global AI industry. The segment underscores a central question: as
artificial intelligence becomes more powerful and profitable, who bears the real
cost of its development? By bringing visibility to this hidden labor, Le Iene
contributes to a growing international debate on ethics, accountability, and
working conditions in the AI economy.