Amazon Shuts Down Crowdsourced Work Platform Mechanical Turk

Amazon has announced that it will be shutting down its crowdsourced work platform, Mechanical Turk, on September 30, 2026. Launched in 2005, the platform connected workers with small digital tasks such as data labeling and transcription.

The platform had a peak of over 500,000 workers but has declined in relevance as AI technology advanced and competing data labeling services emerged.

This move reflects broader changes in how AI training data is sourced, while Amazon continues to grow in other sectors like U.S. clothing retail.