IIT Delhi Enhances Gig Worker Incomes and Reduces Delivery Platform Costs

IIT Delhi has created a 'Work4Food' solution aiming to secure government-mandated minimum wages for food delivery workers. The initiative aims to lower costs for delivery platforms while maintaining customer satisfaction. A team of researchers from IIT Delhi, including Abhijnan Chakraborty, Sayan Ranu, Amitabha Bagchi, and Ph.D. scholar Anjali, developed the solution. The proposal was showcased at the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Vienna, Austria, in July 2022. The solution encompasses features such as income assurances, platform management, and personalized guarantees for each delivery worker, as outlined in a statement from IIT Delhi.

Chakraborty, a professor at the Computer Science and Engineering Department, IIT Delhi said, “This is an order assignment algorithm (which determines which delivery person gets which order) to ensure that each delivery person earns more than the minimum wage". "To achieve this without increasing the cost for the platform or the consumer, we recommend utilizing the delivery workers more efficiently and reducing the habit of over-provisioning", he said.

Since the platforms gather large amounts of data, by studying historical patterns, they can predict the supply-demand dynamics in a particular location at a particular time and accordingly, onboard delivery workers based on need, he added. IIT Delhi states that the minimum income guarantee provided by 'Work4Food,' along with the flexibility for platforms to onboard delivery agents based on demand-supply dynamics, reduces the need for delivery agents to engage in strategic positioning through unnecessary travel, a common practice. “This can have a long-term effect on reducing air pollution caused by vehicular emissions, at least until the entire delivery fleet transitions to battery-operated vehicles", Chakraborty said.

Online food delivery companies frequently point to the gig nature of the work and operational limitations as obstacles to implementing local minimum wage guarantees. However, the innovative solution presented by IIT Delhi researchers is poised to tackle these issues, as per the official release. "We believe that our proposed solution has the potential to revolutionize the way food delivery platforms operate in India, creating a win-win situation for all parties involved -- delivery workers, platforms, and customers -- representing a significant step toward achieving fairness and equity within the food delivery industry", said Bagchi.