I've often said that humans are better than algorithms, but it looks like Amazon has taken that idea literally - they've created a web service that lets you solve problems using human minds. The Mechanical Turk has an API and pays human beings for completing tasks. From the Amazon description:

"Amazon Mechanical Turk provides a web services API for computers to integrate "Artificial, artificial intelligence" directly into their processing by making requests of humans. Developers use the Amazon Mechanical Turk web services API to submit tasks to the Amazon Mechanical Turk web site, approve completed tasks, and incorporate the answers into their software applications. To the application, the transaction looks very much like any remote procedure call: the application sends the request, and the service returns the results. In reality, a network of humans fuels this artificial, artificial intelligence by coming to the web site, searching for and completing tasks, and receiving payment for their work."

Amazing. This is a really, really great idea. Human intelligence put to work at last! In fact, this whole idea reminds me of Seth Godin's Squidoo, which "makes it easy for anyone, even a newbie, to teach people about topics they care about." It looks like human processing is finally becoming a part of Web 2.0. Based on my experience of other "paid" schemes, however, it seems that the payment from Mechanical Turk will be absolutely miniscule, at least to start with. So don't expect to earn big bucks anytime soon.

Pete Cashmore is an entrepreneur and internet expert. His favorite buzzwords are Ruby on Rails, AJAX, blogging, Googlezon, home fabrication and RSS. He has a personal blog at mashable.com