Appen Announces Crowd Code of Ethics to Build Better AI

Initiative Promotes Fair Pay, Inclusivity, and Well-Being for Contractors Worldwide; Appen Joins Global Impact Sourcing Coalition

Appen Limited, the leading provider of high-quality datasets needed by companies and governments to train AI systems quickly and at scale, unveiled its Crowd Code of Ethics. The initiative reflects the importance of the Crowd’s well-being in creating the data for AI systems and applications that people worldwide increasingly use and depend on every day. Moreover, it formalizes the best practices Appen has developed over the past several years to support and promote contractor wellness. Appen is also now a proud member of the Global Impact Sourcing Coalition (GISC), a global network of businesses creating jobs for those most in need.

“The AI industry depends on the people who collect and label the data,” said Appen CEO Mark Brayan. “They help make machine learning-empowered solutions possible and today we are formalizing our commitment to their well-being. We believe that our customers should know that their partners stand for the ethical treatment of contractors.”

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Appen’s Crowd Code of Ethics comprises six principles:

Fair Pay

Our goal is to pay our Crowd above minimum wage in every market around the world where we operate.

Inclusion

A diverse, inclusive culture is vital to our mission of helping build better AI. We offer opportunities for individuals of all abilities and backgrounds.

Crowd Voice

Our Crowd has a valued voice at Appen, and their feedback helps us to continuously improve.

Privacy and Confidentiality

Any information collected about the Crowd is requested solely for the purposes of the project. Appen takes precautions to protect that information and does not release private data on individuals to third parties without consent.

Communication

We believe in helpful, transparent, and responsive lines of communication with our Crowd.

Well-being

Appen promotes wellness, community, and connections through online forums and best practices.

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Appen’s Crowd Care team will support wellness by ensuring the company’s adherence to the Crowd Code of Ethics and will educate customers about its benefits.

“Our Crowd Code of Ethics is important to ensuring that our Crowd is treated equitably around the world,” said Kerri Reynolds, Appen’s senior vice president of Crowd Sourcing Operations and Human Resources. “The Code of Ethics aligns with our corporate values and demonstrates our commitment to Crowd wellness.”

Sebastian Kohlmeier at the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI2) added, “We support Appen’s efforts to develop a Code of Ethics for its crowd. We believe these considerations are essential for both the crowd and the industry to thrive, and this complements our ethical pricing and best practices guidelines we issued earlier this year.” The Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence was founded in 2014 by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen to conduct AI research and engineering in service of the common good.

Appen Joins Global Impact Sourcing Coalition to Help Build More Inclusive

Supply Chains

In addition to launching its Crowd Code of Ethics, Appen is now a member of the Global Impact Sourcing Coalition, an organization whose mission is to “build more inclusive global supply chains through advancing wide-scale adoption of Impact Sourcing.” The alignment between Appen’s Code of Ethics and GISC’s mission creates a strong partnership in the effort to provide opportunities for individuals around the world.

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