Uber Technologies Inc. is venturing beyond its rideshare origins, embracing a burgeoning market by enlisting gig workers to assist in artificial intelligence (AI) development. Through its new initiative, Scaled Solutions, Uber now connects businesses with independent contractors skilled in data labeling and AI programming—a move that positions the company as a competitive player in AI training and annotation.

A New Direction for Uber’s Gig Model
Building on its experience recruiting drivers and couriers, Uber is leveraging its gig economy expertise to tackle data annotation. Scaled Solutions, initially created to enhance Uber’s rideshare, delivery, and freight services, is now open for external clients. Companies like Aurora Innovation Inc., a developer of self-driving software, and Niantic Inc., the maker of Pokémon Go, have already utilized Uber’s workforce for tasks ranging from validating maps to creating detailed 3D augmented reality maps.

Global Recruitment for Specialized Tasks
This month, Uber began onboarding contractors from India, the US, Canada, Poland, and Nicaragua to meet the increasing demand for skilled labor in AI training. Workers are paid per completed task, with assignments including image and text labeling, data localization for cultural markets, and evaluating AI chatbot responses for software engineering accuracy.

“We understand the needs of businesses requiring these services,” said an Uber spokesperson. “Our expertise in offering flexible work opportunities makes this a natural extension of our operations.”

Challenges and Criticism in the Gig Annotation Industry
Despite its potential, the data annotation industry faces scrutiny for underpaying workers in developing countries. Similar platforms like Scale AI’s Remotasks have been criticized for low wages, with reports of workers earning as little as $10 for an eight-hour annotation job. While Uber has not disclosed wage structures for its Scaled Solutions contractors, transparency will likely be a focal point as the program grows.

Scaling New Heights in AI
Uber’s Scaled Solutions represents a strategic pivot, tapping into a market where companies like Scale AI are valued at $14 billion. As AI adoption accelerates across industries, the demand for high-quality datasets and human intervention in training machine learning models is set to grow.

For more details, read the full article on Bloomberg.