Uber is testing a new program that pays its gig workers to train AI

• Uber is expanding its AI-training service with a pilot for drivers in the US.
• Some US-based gig workers will be able to train AI models by taking photos and completing other tasks.
• Uber already offers the so-called “Digital Tasks” to users in India.

Uber’s gig workers now have another way to earn money: training AI models.

The company said on Thursday it would start offering gigs meant to train AI — a group of jobs that Uber calls “Digital Tasks” — to some workers in the US through a pilot in its driver app. Uber already offers this sort of work to gig workers in India, where users complete tasks such as taking photos that are then fed into AI models.

“Drivers have asked for more ways to earn, even when they’re not on the road,” CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement about the pilot. With the addition, Uber is “giving drivers more ways to earn during downtime.”

Uber plans to make Digital Tasks available to users who already drive for Uber and Uber Eats. It won’t let them take AI-training tasks while driving or waiting for a ride for safety reasons. The tasks include taking photos and uploading audio clips. The work is part of Uber’s AI Solutions Group, which sells its AI training services to other businesses.

Finding work other than driving is an increasing concern for many gig workers, especially with the rise of self-driving cars threatening the future of their jobs. Uber is offering rides in autonomous Waymo cars in Atlanta and Austin, with plans to expand to more cities.

While Uber will likely still need human drivers for the next several years, Khosrowshahi has said that the loss of driving work will represent a big problem for society. He’s pointed to AI training jobs like Digital Tasks as one potential way to counter that loss of income.

This is not the first time that Uber has experimented with gig work beyond delivering food and offering rides.

Two years ago, Uber tested a program that let users complete household tasks, such as assembling furniture, for those who requested help through the platform.

Digital Tasks is one of several changes that Uber plans to make, it said Thursday at its Only on Uber event for drivers.

Others include giving drivers more time to evaluate trips before accepting them, clearer instructions on trips that involve multiple stops, and an expansion of its option to request women drivers to more cities, including Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Portland, Seattle, and Washington, DC.

Do you have a story to share about Uber or other gig work? Contact this reporter at [email protected] or 808-854-4501.

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