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Amazon to Sunset Long-Running Mechanical Turk Crowdsourcing Platform in 2026
Technology Services · Internet Software/Services · cnbc · 2026-08-26
AMZN
Amazon is officially shutting down its 21-year-old Mechanical Turk service, a platform once dubbed 'artificial artificial intelligence' by Jeff Bezos, by September 2026.
What Happened
Platform Sunset Announcement: Amazon has confirmed the permanent closure of its Mechanical Turk (MTurk) crowdsourcing platform, effective September 30, 2026. The company reached this decision following a routine internal assessment of its various tools and service offerings.
Historical Context and Evolution: Launched in 2005, the service was famously described by founder Jeff Bezos as 'artificial artificial intelligence' because it utilized human labor to perform tasks that were difficult for early computers. Over two decades, the platform facilitated millions of micro-tasks, such as data labeling and transcription, for a global workforce of hundreds of thousands.
Market Shift and Competition: The decline of MTurk has been attributed to the rapid advancement of AI models and the emergence of specialized data-annotation competitors like Scale AI and Prolific. As these newer platforms gained traction, Amazon reportedly invested fewer resources into MTurk, leading to a migration of workers and clients away from the aging service.
Impact on Gig Workers: The shutdown creates uncertainty for long-term 'turkers' who relied on the platform for flexible, remote supplemental income. While some businesses are currently seeking alternative providers, the move highlights the broader transition in the data-labeling industry toward more modern, AI-integrated workflows.