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Uber is positioning its platform as a broader work hub by planning a US trial that offers AI-related tasks to drivers and couriers.
CEO Dara Khosrowshahi laid out the initiative on the company’s Nov. 4 Q3 earnings call, framing the effort as a way to widen earning opportunities beyond trips or deliveries. “Another way of looking at our platform is that we’re a platform for work,” he said.
The company intends to pilot a program called Digital Tasks, which will give users the option to complete short assignments designed to support artificial intelligence systems. The model has already been tested in India, where users help train machine-learning models through the Uber Driver app. Khosrowshahi said the aim is to make the program available across Uber’s markets over time.
AI gigs bring higher-skill options
Some roles within Digital Tasks may require specialized training. Khosrowshahi said particular assignments “require PhDs, for example, in physics, in order to get the gig done,” and that pay for those tasks is higher than traditional trips.
Digital Tasks is optional and only accessible when drivers are not completing rides or deliveries. Users can review estimated pay and task duration before accepting a job, and completed tasks are paid within 24 hours.
Khosrowshahi added that demand for human input in AI development is strong, noting the company has already signed on “a ton of customers” needing support for AI training work.
Regulators increase focus on self-driving rules
The expansion into AI-related gigs comes as Uber continues investing in autonomous-vehicle technology. Unions have raised concerns about job stability for professional drivers as robotaxis move closer to commercial deployment. Some unions warned federal regulators in 2023 that widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles could threaten professional driving careers.
Since that warning, regulators have advanced several measures. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the US Department of Transportation introduced a new automated-vehicle testing framework earlier this year. Multiple states have updated insurance, permitting and testing rules tied to robotaxis. At the federal level, Sen. Cynthia Lummis introduced a bill in May seeking national standards for autonomous vehicles.
Khosrowshahi said Digital Tasks could help give drivers alternative income sources if automation reduces trip-based demand. “We can empower other kinds of work as well,” he said.
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A growing revenue stream
Uber views the program as a potential new revenue stream. “We think this can ultimately be another profitable line of business for us,” Khosrowshahi said, comparing its early size to the way ride-hailing and food delivery began.
Analysts say the shift may place Uber in closer competition with platforms such as Scale AI and Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. The data-annotation tools market is projected to reach $8.26billion by 2026.
