Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE:UBER) is turning its app into more than a ride or delivery tool — it's becoming a gateway to high-paying AI jobs.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told investors on the company's Q3 earnings call on Nov. 4 that the company plans to introduce new artificial intelligence training opportunities for app users.
"Another way of looking at our platform is that we're a platform for work," he said.
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Uber Expands Beyond Rides And Meals
Khosrowshahi said Uber will begin a U.S. pilot called Digital Tasks, allowing users to complete short, AI-related gigs through the Uber Driver app. The initiative, according to Uber's blog, already operates in India, where users help train machine-learning models.
Khosrowshahi said the long-term goal is to make Digital Tasks available to earners across Uber's global platform.
But some roles, he said, require advanced education. "Some of the roles require PhDs, for example, in physics, in order to get the gig done," he said, adding that pay for such work is higher than for traditional driver trips.
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Adapting To Automation
The move comes as Uber expands its investments in self-driving technology. The prospect of widespread robotaxis has raised job-security concerns among professional drivers.
A letter sent to federal transportation regulators by unions such as the Transportation Trades Department and the Transport Workers Union of America warned that rapid adoption of robotaxis could threaten job security for professional drivers in 2023. Those concerns helped put automation under closer regulatory scrutiny.
Since the unions' 2023 letter, regulators have taken several steps. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a new automated-vehicle framework earlier this year, covering how self-driving systems might be tested and exempted.
Several states have also moved on robotaxi-specific laws updating permitting, insurance and testing standards. At the federal level, Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) introduced a bill in May to establish national standards for autonomous vehicles.
In response to those concerns, Khosrowshahi said on the Nov. 4 earnings call that Digital Tasks could help bridge the gap by giving displaced drivers alternative income streams within the same platform. "We can empower other kinds of work as well," he said.
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Uber said in October that the program is optional and only available when drivers or couriers are not on active trips. Before beginning, participants can view each task's estimated time and pay, and afterward payments are added to their in-app earnings within 24 hours of completion.
Khosrowshahi said on Nov. 4 that Uber has already signed on "a ton of customers" seeking human input for AI training, describing it as a nascent but promising part of the company's evolution.
A Profitable New Line Of Work
"We think this can ultimately be another profitable line of business for us," Khosrowshahi said, adding that while Digital Tasks is still a small part of the company, it could grow the same way ride-hailing and food delivery did.
Analysts say the move could place Uber alongside platforms such as Scale AI and Amazon.com Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AMZN) Mechanical Turk, which pay users to label data for AI models. Market research firm Research Nester says the data-annotation tools market could reach $8.26 billion by 2026.
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