Amazon Mechanical Turk, often referred to as MTurk, is a crowdsourcing marketplace that enables businesses and individuals to outsource small tasks or human intelligence tasks (HITs) to a distributed workforce known as "Turkers." Launched by Amazon in 2005, MTurk harnesses human intelligence to perform tasks that computers currently can't do efficiently, such as data validation, content moderation, surveys, and more. This platform provides a cost-effective way for companies to leverage human input at scale, making it a popular choice for organizations looking to outsource micro-tasks.
Amazon Mechanical Turk falls under the category of Crowdsourced Labor, which involves delegating tasks to a large group of people or a "crowd" rather than traditional employees. Crowdsourced Labor platforms like MTurk have gained widespread popularity due to their ability to quickly handle a variety of tasks that require human intelligence, judgment, or creativity. This category allows businesses to access a diverse pool of workers from around the world, enabling them to complete tasks efficiently and cost-effectively.
Founded by Amazon in 2005, Amazon Mechanical Turk was created with the goal of leveraging human intelligence to complement artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies. The platform's namesake, the Mechanical Turk, was a famous 18th-century chess-playing machine that appeared to play chess against human opponents but was operated by a hidden human chess master. Similarly, Amazon Mechanical Turk aims to combine the efficiency of machines with the cognitive abilities of humans to perform a wide range of tasks accurately and swiftly.
As of the latest data available, Amazon Mechanical Turk continues to be a dominant player in the Crowdsourced Labor market, holding a significant market share. With the increasing demand for outsourcing micro-tasks and the continuous growth of the gig economy, it is expected that Amazon Mechanical Turk will maintain its position and potentially expand its market share in the future. The platform's ability to connect businesses with a scalable workforce for tasks requiring human intelligence positions it well for further growth and adoption in various industries.
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