Uber offers drivers a new way to earn cash – training AI

Uber is piloting a new feature for US drivers and couriers to earn extra income – even when they’re not driving passengers or delivering food.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced “Digital Tasks” pilot program at the Only on Uber 2025 conference in Washington, DC, on Thursday. The initiative offers American drivers the chance to earn money by completing online tasks like uploading photos or recording audio clips to train an AI model.

“Drivers are asking for more ways to earn money, even if they are not on the road,” Khosrowshahi said at the event. business insider,

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Access during the pilot is currently limited, but Uber plans to roll out the “Digital Tasks” feature to all drivers and couriers on both its main ride-hailing service and Uber Eats, though it’s not clear when., Eligible US drivers and couriers will see the option to participate in their Work Hub on Uber.

Uber didn’t say how much it would pay for AI training, but Sachin Kansal, the company’s chief product officer, said bloomberg Pay for each job varies depending on the time commitment of each assignment.

According to Kansal, Uber may also consider opening up work to non-drivers over time.

Some tasks are so simple they can be completed directly on the phone, Kansal said, while more advanced tasks, such as annotating, translating or editing content, are offered through Uber’s web platform. It is unclear why Uber is providing AI training and whether it has partnerships with any AI companies.

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Uber competitor Lyft has no public-facing AI training program like Uber’s “Digital Tasks.” However, Amazon offers a comparable option Amazon Mechanical TurkA crowdsourcing platform launched publicly in 2005Where businesses can post small tasks, like data entry, image labeling to train AI, or content moderation, which anyone can complete online for payment.

This isn’t Uber’s first attempt to expand beyond delivering food and offering rides. Two years ago, Uber launched A mini-pilot program that lets app users hire people to complete various household tasks, such as furniture assembly. Uber tested the service in select areas, including Fort Myers, Florida and Edmonton, Alberta, but did not expand the program beyond the initial test.

As the popularity of robotaxis and autonomous vehicles grows, Uber is focused on diversifying the tasks that drivers can complete. Last month, a “All-In” Podcast EventKhosrowshahi said that “10 to 15 years from now,” the job for human drivers at Uber may dry up as robotaxis take over more rides. In January, Khosrowshahi told The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern says driving for Uber is a safe job for the next decade.

“You fast forward 15, 20 years, I think the autonomous driver is going to be a better driver than the human driver,” Khosrowshahi said at the time.

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Uber is piloting a new feature for US drivers and couriers to earn extra income – even when they’re not driving passengers or delivering food.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced “Digital Tasks” pilot program at the Only on Uber 2025 conference in Washington, DC, on Thursday. The initiative offers American drivers the chance to earn money by completing online tasks like uploading photos or recording audio clips to train an AI model.

“Drivers are asking for more ways to earn money, even if they are not on the road,” Khosrowshahi said at the event. business insider,