By Skye Jacobs
Publication Date: 2026-09-29 11:58:00
In brief: Human contractors reviewing Microsoft Copilot’s image editor can see users’ prompts, uploaded photos and AI-generated edits. Documents show that some of those assignments contain sexual, disturbing or potentially illegal material. Yet the reviewers are not there to flag the content – they are paid to decide how well Copilot carried out the request.
In a typical assignment, a contractor receives the user’s prompt and original image, along with two edits produced by Copilot, and must decide which version better follows the instructions. The assessment covers four areas. Reviewers check whether Copilot completed the requested edit, left unrelated parts of the image unchanged, avoided visible defects and produced a strong image overall. If the prompt asks the system to add a cup to a table, for example, the cup should be the only change.
The instructions reviewed by 404 Media also tell contractors to rely on subjective judgment. “Trust your intuition – when…
