Virudhunagar, a town in southeastern India, can boast temples that date back thousands of years. But not far from those ancient sites, people are working on the latest tech - artificial intelligence.
One of those is Mohan Kumar. My role is in AI annotation. I collect data from various sources, label it, and train AI models so they can recognize and predict objects. Over time, the models become semi-supervised and can make decisions on their own, he says.
India has long been a center for outsourced IT support, but in recent years firms have been moving that work into much more remote areas where costs are lower. The trend, known as cloud farming, has led to towns like Virudhunagar hosting firms working on AI.
Mr. Kumar believes there’s no real difference in the quality of work done in small towns compared to big cities. Professionally, there is no real difference. We work with the same global clients from the US and Europe, he says.
Companies like Desicrew and NextWealth are leading this change, providing local job opportunities while training AI models for global clients. With their focus on AI, they are employing a mainly female workforce that transforms local economies.
For too long, opportunities have been concentrated in cities, leaving rural youth behind. Our mission has always been to create world-class careers closer to home, says Mannivannan J K, CEO of Desicrew. Similarly, Mythily Ramesh, co-founder of NextWealth, highlights that sixty percent of India’s graduates come from small towns, showing the untapped potential in these areas.
Moreover, experts believe that as this trend continues, small-town India could become the world's largest hub for AI operations. It proves that reliable tech work can indeed thrive in rural settings, reshaping the narrative around job opportunities.
