Table of Contents
- Key Highlights
- Introduction
- The Rise of Digital Gig Work in Venezuela
- The Generative AI Shift
- An Evolving Gig Economy
- Barriers to Advanced Work
- The Future of Venezuelan Digital Labor
- FAQ
Key Highlights
- Venezuelan migrants, who once leveraged low-level digital jobs for survival, are increasingly facing job scarcity due to the rise of generative AI technologies.
- A significant portion of the digital workforce, primarily made up of Venezuelan migrants, has been significantly impacted by decreased demand for low-skilled tasks that AI can now perform.
- The transition from data annotation and SEO writing to more complex digital roles presents barriers such as lack of infrastructure and access to advanced skills training.
Introduction
As of 2025, over 7.5 million Venezuelans have fled their country, driven by one of the world’s most severe economic crises. Seeking a chance for a better life, many have turned to the gig economy, engaging in low-level digital tasks that revolve around AI, data annotation, and content creation. Filling critical roles for tech companies needing human oversight for tasks ranging from annotating images for AI training to SEO content writing, these workers have been a lifeline for the Venezuelan diaspora living abroad. However, with generative AI technologies evolving rapidly, the very jobs they depend on are becoming less viable.
According to recent reports, generative AI has integrated itself deeply into various sectors, performing tasks that were once reserved for humans, creating uncertainty and financial instability for many Venezuelans entrenched in this economy. This article explores the implications of an AI-driven job market on Venezuelan migrants, assessing the historical economic crisis’s backdrop, the adaptation of worker methodologies, and the future of digital labor in the face of technological advancements.
The Rise of Digital Gig Work in Venezuela
Before the onset of Venezuela's economic crisis, the nation had a thriving educational system that crafted a skilled workforce ready to engage in service and technical roles. When hyperinflation and failed policies led to a collapse of the economy around 2018, millions of young, educated Venezuelans found themselves desperate for opportunities. They turned to global platforms such as Appen, Mighty AI, and Scale AI, which provided a pathway to earning in U.S. dollars by performing gig work.
By 2018, Venezuelans made up an estimated 75% of the workforce at many of these companies, predominantly focusing on tasks involving data tagging, content moderation, and other low-skilled labor essential for training AI models. This innovative adaptation allowed them to maintain a semblance of economic stability in foreign countries, particularly in neighboring Colombia.
While cash remittances from abroad and cheap living costs made gig work appealing, the rise of AI ushered in the perfect storm of opportunity and obsolescence.
The Generative AI Shift
Generative AI refers to an artificial intelligence that can generate text, images, and other content based on the patterns learned from data. This technology has advanced to a point where it can create its own training datasets, drastically minimizing the need for human labor in tasks previously reliant on crowdsourced workers.
One significant study showed that around 44% of search engine optimization tasks are now being handled by AI, according to industry estimates. The generation of synthetic data means that many lower-tier jobs are diminishing, with platforms like Appen observing a 99% drop in market value over three years.
Oskarina Fuentes, a veteran user of AI training platforms in Colombia, shared her concerns about the declining availability of tasks: “Every year, there have been fewer tasks. If a task doesn’t come up, I’m just waiting, living with uncertainty.”
As these workers feel the pinch of dwindling opportunities, the transformation in digital labor represents not only an economic shift but also a psychological toll on those dependent on this income source.
An Evolving Gig Economy
In the face of generative AI, many Venezuelan digital workers are reevaluating their strategies to sustain their income. This necessity has led to the adoption of new methodologies, including leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT to remain competitive in content creation. Maryfel Alvarado, an SEO writer, noted that while she once commanded up to $50 for 1,000 words, her freelance offers now often dip as low as $7.
Adjusting to the new reality, Alvarado and her partner invested in a premium subscription to ChatGPT, enabling them to produce high volumes of content quickly. “Now I can produce five articles in one day; before, it was only three,” she explained about the productivity boon the AI tool has afforded her.
Despite the shift towards incorporating AI tools, many workers still face significant barriers. Simple infrastructure hurdles mean that many Venezuelans, both in their home country and as migrants, are unable to transition to more sophisticated roles due to ongoing issues related to internet connectivity, hardware limitations, and lack of access to advanced training programs.
Barriers to Advanced Work
As demand for more complex data tasks increases, many Venezuelan workers find themselves on the outside looking in. Si Chen, vice president of strategy at Appen, acknowledged that while there is a push for specialized data training, many potential workers lack the necessary infrastructure to handle these demands effectively. According to Óscar Maldonado from Fairwork at the Oxford Internet Institute, “The low-level workers become expendable,” as AI tools make their skills outdated.
The trends reflect not just a local Venezuelan issue but resonate across Latin America. Given the high level of educated young people that have left Venezuela—many of whom do not have the documentation to pursue formal employment—the shift in the market exacerbates an already precarious situation.
The Rise, Fall, and Adaptation of Income
The digital life of migrant workers in Colombia often oscillates between brief periods of affluence and long stretches of uncertainty. From earning up to $500 monthly in 2021, many now struggle to match the minimum wage with sporadic tasks.
Many crowdworkers like Fuentes rely on WhatsApp groups to share task listings with each other, creating a community of digital solidarity in which, as she described, “If someone has insomnia, they say, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye out tonight.’” The sense of shared purpose and mutual urgency underscores a labor market that no longer offers predictability.
Maryfel Alvarado's experience captures the essence of this transition: “Annotation work was attractive because there seemed to be very few access barriers. Now, with generative AI, those barriers are changing.”
The Future of Venezuelan Digital Labor
Given the rapid development of AI technologies, the future of Venezuelan clickworkers and freelancers within the digital economy raises numerous questions. Chief among them is whether individuals without access to high-quality training or advanced infrastructure can bridge the gap between saturating their current roles and the complex requirements of future digital jobs.
Active discussions among policymakers, NGOs, and community activists highlight the need for targeted interventions that can give Venezuelan workers access to advanced digital skills training, reliable internet access, and formal employment pathways. Without inclusive structures geared towards empowering workers, an entire generation may be left behind as technology continues to advance.
The landscape of digital work may be shifting beneath them, leaving many to ponder, “What comes next?” As Oskarina Fuentes expressed on this collective anxiety, “There could come a time when there are simply no more tasks...I think that would be a nightmare for all of us.”
FAQ
What is generative AI?
Generative AI refers to artificial intelligence systems that can generate content—including text, images, and audio—based on trained parameters and existing datasets.
How has AI impacted the job market for Venezuelan migrants?
The rise of generative AI has reduced the demand for low-skilled digital jobs such as data annotation and SEO writing, significantly impacting Venezuelan migrants who rely on these roles for income.
Are there opportunities for higher-skilled work?
While there is demand for more complex digital roles, many Venezuelan workers face barriers such as inadequate infrastructure, outdated technology, and lack of access to advanced training opportunities that prevent them from qualifying for these positions.
What can be done to help Venezuelan digital workers?
Policy interventions, community-driven educational programs, and expanded access to training in advanced digital skills are crucial to empowering Venezuelan workers to transition to higher skilled work effectively.
What does the future of digital labor look like for Venezuelans?
As generative AI advances, the landscape of digital labor is shifting, making it essential for Venezuelan workers and policymakers to adapt and evolve to ensure sustainable income and job security in the gig economy.