In Finland, prisoners are now contributing to the development of artificial intelligence (AI) by taking part in data labelling and classification tasks, as part of their rehabilitation programs.
As AI continues to evolve rapidly, there’s a growing concern that many might be left behind in this technology-driven world. But what about those who are already isolated from society, like prisoners? Finland, renowned for its progressive approach to prison reform, is working to address this issue.
In the past two years, several Finnish prisons have introduced AI-related jobs for inmates, expanding beyond traditional prison labor. The goal is to equip prisoners with digital skills that will be essential in the future, thus preparing them for life after release. This initiative is part of a partnership with a local start-up, designed to reduce recidivism by providing inmates with valuable, modern skills.
One of the companies involved, Metroc, specializes in aggregating and categorizing public construction data. Metroc saw an opportunity to involve inmates in data annotation, the process of labeling and organizing information to improve AI accuracy, which is a crucial step in training AI systems.
For AI to understand languages like Finnish—spoken by just five million people globally—human input is essential. In a country like Finland, where wages are high, hiring native speakers can be expensive, making the use of prison labor for these tasks an innovative and cost-effective solution.
Metroc’s founder, Jussi Virnala, explained how the project began: “Our software processes text and details related to construction products, and to make our AI models work, we need to teach them the Finnish language and construction-specific terminology.” Virnala’s background includes a stint at Finland’s Ministry of Justice, which led him to propose the idea to the Finnish Prison and Probation Service. “They were immediately excited,” he told Euronews Next.
To get inmates up to speed, Metroc provides them with training materials, including courses on construction history and terminology, as well as AI basics. The inmates are given special laptops and tasked with simple questions like, “Does this text refer to a building permit?”
One prisoner, who participated in the AI annotation work and went by the alias *Robin, shared his experience with Euronews Next. He chose to get involved “to spend time on something meaningful. AI was a new topic for me, and it piqued my interest. Plus, I could earn some money.”
This initiative aligns with the broader principles of the Nordic prison system, which is known for its emphasis on normality. The system strives to keep prison conditions as close to life outside as possible, promoting autonomy and preparing inmates for reintegration into society.
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