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DoorDash Rolls Out “Tasks” For AI Training
Multi-gig economy // Image by Kait Cunniff with DALL-E
DoorDash is rolling out a new standalone app called “Tasks” that pays delivery drivers to film themselves completing additional tasks and upload the recordings for AI and robotics training.
Why It Delivers: Tech, delivery, and retail companies are realizing there’s no better training data than their own employees — especially as they constantly navigate the unpredictability of the real world. But collecting that data without infringing on basic privacy remains the real challenge.
Behind The Videos: By monetizing tasks, DoorDash is incentivizing employees to help train their eventual replacements.
The Tasks app is filled with various activities couriers can complete at will, including speaking another language, washing five dishes, or closing a left-open door on a Waymo vehicle, according to TechCrunch.
Each task comes with a set payment based on the “effort and complexity of the activity” (but don’t expect a tip).
The main DoorDash app will also feature smaller tasks drivers can complete, such as helping a restaurant showcase its menu by taking real photos of dishes or capturing a hotel entrance so drop-off locations are easier to find.
The submitted footage and recordings won’t be used solely for DoorDash’s systems — they’ll also be licensed to “partners in the retail, insurance, hospitality, and technology sectors.” (That explains the dishwashing task.)
Last Upload: The tasks — available through both the standalone app and the flagship platform — are open to the company’s eight million drivers across the US, except in California, New York City, Seattle, and Colorado. The company plans to expand both the number of tasks and the countries where they’re offered throughout the year.
Soon, every DoorDasher could be earning extra money while making a delivery. It’s the gig economy on steroids.
The Future: Every gig-economy app could soon resemble a Taskrabbit for AI training. Some people may earn a paycheck without doing a single traditional activity, like delivering food or walking a dog for another person. Wild.
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Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Polled and Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.