Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE:UBER) is turning its app into more than a ride or delivery tool — it’s becoming a gateway to high-paying AI jobs.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told investors on the company’s Q3 earnings call on Nov. 4 that the company plans to introduce new artificial intelligence training opportunities for app users.
“Another way of looking at our platform is that we’re a platform for work,” he said.
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Khosrowshahi said Uber will begin a U.S. pilot called Digital Tasks, allowing users to complete short, AI-related gigs through the Uber Driver app. The initiative, according to Uber’s blog, already operates in India, where users help train machine-learning models.
Khosrowshahi said the long-term goal is to make Digital Tasks available to earners across Uber’s global platform.
But some roles, he said, require advanced education. “Some of the roles require PhDs, for example, in physics, in order to get the gig done,” he said, adding that pay for such work is higher than for traditional driver trips.
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The move comes as Uber expands its investments in self-driving technology. The prospect of widespread robotaxis has raised job-security concerns among professional drivers.
A letter sent to federal transportation regulators by unions such as the Transportation Trades Department and the Transport Workers Union of America warned that rapid adoption of robotaxis could threaten job security for professional drivers in 2023. Those concerns helped put automation under closer regulatory scrutiny.
Since the unions’ 2023 letter, regulators have taken several steps. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a new automated-vehicle framework earlier this year, covering how self-driving systems might be tested and exempted.
Several states have also moved on robotaxi-specific laws updating permitting, insurance and testing standards. At the federal level, Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) introduced a bill in May to establish national standards for autonomous vehicles.
In response to those concerns, Khosrowshahi said on the Nov. 4 earnings call that Digital Tasks could help bridge the gap by giving displaced drivers alternative income streams within the same platform. “We can empower other kinds of work as well,” he said.
