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Key Takeaways DoorDash is introducing a program that pays gig workers to do short data-collection jobs.
The company plans to use the data from these tasks to train AI models and provide information for retail partners.
The move signals a broader shift in gig work from only deliveries and rides to ongoing AI and retail data collection.
DoorDash is turning its ranks of delivery couriers into on-demand data collectors and AI helpers.
The food delivery service is now offering a new slate of short assignments that pay workers to photograph shelves, film chores and record conversations in exchange for cash, according to a press release. The new offering, called Tasks, lives both as a standalone app and as an option inside the main Dasher app in some U.S. markets, excluding California, New York City, Seattle and Colorado.
Instead of picking up food, workers can accept bite-sized assignments designed to generate real-world data for AI, robotics and retail clients. One example of a task is taking photos of restaurant dishes to populate digital menus. Another task is recording unscripted conversations in languages other than English to help train speech and translation models. Yet another is filming everyday household chores, like loading a dishwasher or folding laundry, to help train AI.
A DoorDash bag. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg
DoorDash pays workers upfront, and the total compensation varies based on effort and complexity. Pay is fixed per task, not per hour. The company pitches these tasks as activities workers can complete between deliveries or on their own time.
One DoorDash worker in Texas told Business Insider that she earned $36 for 30 minutes of work, taking 180 photos of specific sections of a grocery store. She found delivering food to provide more money.
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