DoorDash Launches Tasks App for AI Training Data Collection, Offering Gig Workers New Income Source
Key Takeaways
- ▸DoorDash is diversifying beyond food delivery by entering the AI training data collection market through its new Tasks app
- ▸The app creates a new gig work opportunity where users are compensated to record videos of everyday tasks for AI and robotics development
- ▸The service is currently available in most U.S. locations but explicitly blocked in California, New York City, Seattle, and Colorado, possibly due to regulatory concerns
Summary
DoorDash has introduced Tasks, a new gig work application that pays users to record video data of themselves performing everyday activities. The app, available in select U.S. locations (excluding California, New York City, Seattle, and Colorado), focuses on gathering training data for generative AI models and humanoid robots. Workers film themselves completing tasks such as household chores, cooking, handiwork projects, location navigation, and foreign language conversations, with the intention that this video data will help AI systems and robots better understand and replicate physical-world actions through computer vision.
The app operates on a pay-per-task model with compensation determined upfront based on effort and complexity. DoorDash provides phone body mounts to help users capture footage with their hands clearly visible—a critical requirement for effective AI training. Initial tasks available range from simple activities like loading a dishwasher or changing a lightbulb to more complex ones like pouring cement, with payments reportedly around $15 per hour. The company plans to expand the service to include a wider range of tasks and users in the future, signaling a strategic move into the AI training data collection market.
- Video data collected focuses on hand visibility and clear task execution, designed to improve computer vision capabilities in AI models and humanoid robots
Editorial Opinion
DoorDash's foray into AI training data collection represents a significant shift in how gig economy platforms are adapting to the AI boom. While the Tasks app offers a low-barrier way for users to earn money from home, the heavy emphasis on video surveillance and hand visibility raises questions about data privacy and the exploitation of human labor for corporate AI development. The exclusion of major tech-forward cities suggests DoorDash is aware of regulatory risks, making this a cautious but calculated move into a potentially lucrative market as demand for training data grows.
