YouTube, the internet's most popular video platform, has no problem removing copyrighted material being illegally uploaded to the site. Thanks to Content ID, artificial intelligence (AI) can automatically filter or outright ban this content. But the procedure for weeding out "disturbing" videos — those that contain excessive violence, gore, etc. — can be more tricky. YouTube actually hires contractors to filter this kind of content. However, concerns have been recently raised regarding the well-being of these contractors. Watching too much disturbing content can take its toll on the employees, after all.
Noticing these concerns, YouTube chief executive officer (CEO) Susan Wojcicki announced that the company is limiting the number of hours worked by these part-time contractors or content moderators. She said that they would be limited to working four hours per day.
The new directive seems to have followed after substantial criticism regarding how the contractors spend too much time watching disturbing content, and often for low pay. It is no secret that hundreds or maybe even thousands of hours of content are being uploaded to YouTube every day. Sifting through damaging content for extended periods of time may affect the mental health of said contractors.
Wojcicki seems to accept this reality and implies that the company is coming up with potential solutions.
"This is a real issue and I myself have spent a lot of time looking at this content over the past year. It is really hard," the CEO said.
In addition to limiting the working hours of such contractors, the CEO added that they plan to give out "wellness benefits" to the contractors.
The step may be a needed one, as the problem may exponentially amplify itself in the near future. This is because YouTube reportedly plans to hire 10,000 more people to sift through videos that the Content ID system cannot readily identify.
