MTurk closed this week: how to keep Ground Truth and A2I workflows running (services.deepen.ai)

Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) has permanently closed as of September 30, 2026, marking a significant shift in how teams manage human-oriented tasks in machine learning workflows. With MTurk no longer available to support labeling jobs in SageMaker Ground Truth and Amazon Augmented AI (A2I), organizations must now adapt their processes to utilize alternative workforce options. The closure means that existing users must pivot to a private workforce, vendor workforce, or automate processes to ensure their human review workflows remain functional. The shift away from MTurk requires teams to identify current dependencies on the platform and select suitable replacements based on specific needs like data sensitivity, task complexity, and control over quality. While MTurk offered a vast pool of workers on demand, transitioning to a private workforce provides accountability and a consistent quality of work, albeit with increased management responsibilities. Published guidelines emphasize the steps teams should take, including approving completed tasks, choosing alternative workforce types, and testing their new setups, ensuring a smooth transition while maintaining operational integrity in their AI/ML initiatives.