Contractors for Uber's AI Solutions business say the pay is good, but getting hours can be challenging.
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On a May evening, a calendar invite titled "Project Sandbox Kickoff" popped up in the inbox of some AI training contractors who worked for Uber.It was a surprise for some of them, since they hadn't heard from the company in months."I thought, 'This is the job I had heard back about in December, and now they're finally getting back to me,'" one of the contractors told Business Insider. He had been approved to start working for Uber in December, but hadn't received work since then.For years, Uber delivered passengers and burritos using drivers who are independent contractors. Now, Uber is expanding its gig-work model into white-collar jobs, like training AI for clients — part of the company's bid to become a "platform for work," as CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said last year.It's entering a competitive field, with companies like Mercor and Snorkel AI specializing in AI training work. Uber has been aggressively recruiting contractors with PhDs to do this work since late last year, Business Insider previously reported.The jobs are appealing since they often have high hourly pay rates, Guggenheim Securities analyst Taylor Manley told Business Insider."A lot of AI engineers probably have better earnings potential through that format versus traditional full-time employment," Manley said.
