The platformisation tree in China's AI data annotation ecosystem

People with disabilities 1 in Asia are increasingly accessing new employment opportunities through artificial intelligence (AI)-driven platforms, such as food delivery and data annotation, which are often portrayed as pathways to economic empowerment. However, this article interrogates two key questions: what are the stakeholders within the platformised data annotation ecosystem, and how do their interactions shape the work–life experiences of individuals with disabilities? Drawing on a 3-year empirical study initiated in July 2019 – including 107 days of participant observation at seven data annotation bases across China and 155 semi-structured interviews with diverse stakeholders – this article applies Van Dijck’s ‘platformisation tree’ framework to analyse a multifaceted ecosystem. In this metaphorical tree, key actors including central government, local authorities, tech capital and Disabled People's Organisations (DPOs 2 ), assume roles akin to roots, trunk and branches. Meanwhile, annotators with disabilities are depicted as the leaves, positioned at the periphery where they experience both innovative forms of inclusion and heightened risks of marginalization. This analysis reveals the complex dynamics of coordination, negotiation and conflict among these actors as they collectively build and regulate the data annotation workforce. Ultimately, this study contributes to our understanding of labour precarity, platformisation and disability inclusion in AI-driven economies.