Humans
in the Loop.

In 2025, HITL had 168 active annotators across all partner locations — Bulgaria, Syria/Turkey, Lebanon, Kenya, and Afghanistan. All 153 projects were delivered on time, achieving a 4.5/5 client satisfaction score.

Bulgaria had 29 active annotators, 75% of whom were women. Roia Foundation in Syria/Turkey contributed 82 active annotators completing 67 projects. In Lebanon, Anera engaged 10 annotators across 14 projects.

In 2025, HITL was assessed by the Fairwork Foundation, scoring 6 out of 10. We received full marks for fair pay and management, recognising our minimum hourly rate of €4.80/hour, exclusion of harmful task types, mandatory Worker Acknowledgement Forms, and a reinstated complaints mechanism.

In 2025, HITL's training portfolio expanded significantly, from foundational English through to Generative AI and Video Editing. The HITL Stars English program ran four cohorts, graduating 52 participants with an 88% female participation rate and a consistent 4.6/5 satisfaction score.

New courses launched this year included Generative AI, Digital Marketing Hybrid, and Intro to Video Editing. A milestone launch was the AI Innovator Pathway, an intensive program developed in partnership with Subul and launched in October 2025, enrolling 20 participants in a curriculum spanning AI Engineering, Design Thinking, Business Architecture, and Web Development. This pathway represents HITL's most advanced training offering to date, bridging digital skills with real-world AI application.

Self-paced courses reached 169 participants across 11 updated and newly added courses, with 51% women, the strongest gender balance in any HITL program stream.

In 2025, HITL delivered 364 career counseling sessions to 150 individuals across 14 countries. The program — available in English, Arabic, and Ukrainian — achieved a 4.6/5 satisfaction score, and 41 beneficiaries secured job opportunities as a direct result.

The Language and Career Bridge program supported Ukrainian beneficiaries with English Speaking Club sessions (17 participants, 4.2/5), and the English Language Partnership Program (12 participants, 5/5). Four career webinars engaged 51 participants on topics from LinkedIn branding to social entrepreneurship.

The HP "40 Days of Doing Good" program matched 19 HP employee volunteers with 14 HITL beneficiaries in Bulgaria, focusing on market awareness, professional branding, and language skills. Ahead of the mentorship, beneficiaries completed a dedicated career counselling preparation session — covering skills self-assessment, career mapping, and goal-setting — so they could enter each mentor meeting with clarity and purpose.

We held 18 community events in 2025, engaging 389 individuals across topics from mental health to digital safety, professional branding, and interview skills.

Gender equality is not a side commitment at HITL — it is written into our Theory of Change. Our goal is women comprising at least 50% of participants across all Foundation and Business pathways.

In 2025, 43.14% of annotation workers were women — reflecting the structural challenges women face in regions of active conflict. However, our training programs tell a stronger story: female participation in instructor-led training reached 48.18% — near gender parity.

The HITL Stars English program achieved an exceptional 88% female participation rate. Bulgaria's annotation workforce was 75% women. The Language and Career Bridge program was majority-women throughout.

Remote digital work lies at the heart of our approach — offering women the flexibility to pursue professional growth while balancing their roles within families and communities.