Amazon to Shut Down Mechanical Turk as AI Reshapes the Data-Work Industry

Amazon launched Mechanical Turk in 2005 to connect businesses with workers who could complete small digital assignments known as “Human Intelligence Tasks.” These ranged from labeling data and transcribing audio to answering surveys, often paying workers just a few cents for each completed task.

The concept emerged at a time when computers were unable to reliably perform many seemingly simple jobs. Bezos famously described the model as “artificial artificial intelligence” because companies could effectively use human labor behind the scenes to accomplish tasks that appeared automated.

At its peak, MTurk reportedly connected businesses with more than 500,000 workers, known as “turkers.” The platform also became a source of flexible or supplemental income for workers who valued the ability to complete jobs remotely and on their own schedules.

But the technology landscape that created MTurk has changed dramatically. Modern AI models can now perform many tasks that previously required human workers, while companies such as Scale AI, Mercor and Prolific have built more specialized platforms for recruiting people to train and evaluate increasingly sophisticated AI systems.

Amazon itself attempted to reposition MTurk for the AI era by offering its workforce for data annotation and human-review jobs through its SageMaker ecosystem. However, workers say investment in the platform appeared to decline as competing services gained traction.

Generative AI has created another challenge: distinguishing genuinely human-generated work from AI-assisted output. A 2023 academic study found that as many as 46% of surveyed Mechanical Turk workers used AI models to help complete tasks, potentially undermining one of the platform’s core propositions.

Signs of an eventual shutdown became clearer when Amazon stopped accepting new MTurk customers in July. The company has now confirmed that the service will close at the end of September following an internal review of its programs, tools and services.

The closure could create disruption for both sides of the marketplace. Some businesses still rely on MTurk for human data work, while workers who depend on the platform for meaningful income will need to migrate to competing services.

Mechanical Turk’s shutdown also reflects a broader transformation in the relationship between human labor and artificial intelligence. A platform originally created because machines needed humans to fill their capability gaps is disappearing just as AI becomes capable of performing many of those tasks itself — while simultaneously creating a new market for humans to train, evaluate and supervise increasingly powerful AI systems.