Amazon closes Mechanical Turk to new requesters, ongoing tasks unaffected
AMZN•As of July 5, 2026, Amazon has closed its Mechanical Turk marketplace to new requesters, though current workers and tasks remain active under existing contracts. The move suggests Amazon is reprioritizing resources away from crowdsourcing while sharpening focus on higher-margin automation services.
1. Amazon Halts New Mechanical Turk Sign-Ups
On July 5, 2026, Amazon ceased onboarding new requesters to its Mechanical Turk crowdsourcing platform, meaning no fresh accounts can now post human-in-the-loop tasks.
2. Impact on Existing Workers and Requesters
Current workers retain access to active HITs and existing requesters can continue submitting tasks under existing agreements, ensuring ongoing task fulfillment and payment processes remain unchanged.
3. Strategic Shift in Crowdsourcing Operations
The move reflects a realignment toward automation and higher-margin offerings, signaling Amazon’s intention to scale down manual data-labeling services and prioritize core business segments like AWS and AI-driven solutions.
