Trust in the Machine? Practitioner Perspectives on the Role of AI in Online Content Moderation

The scale and volume of user-generated content produced in the Web 2.0 era have led to content moderation becoming an essential aspect of most online platforms’ business models. This form of digital labour is often performed by human content moderators (CMs) in the Global South, however, artificial intelligence (AI) technology has increasingly changed the nature of this work leading to serious questions about the future of this industry. A mixed-methods survey was conducted with Africa-based CMS (n = 107) who responded to several open-ended questions related to their perceptions of AI and its potential use in content moderation. Thematic analysis revealed strong support for the use of AI in content moderation. However, CMs noted several barriers to AI implementation, such as an inability to apply context, which limits its efficacy. The findings suggest that African CMs appreciate the potential benefits that AI can offer to the content moderation industry, yet still see a clear need for AI to be balanced with human oversight to properly address the contextual nuance that is inherent to the role.