Side-hustling Californians strap on body cams to help AI bots behave more like humans: ‘Like getting paid for breathing’
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Publish Date: 2026-03-12 22:20:00
Source Domain: www.aol.com
People in need of extra income are reportedly strapping phones to their heads and recording themselves doing housework in order to teach artificial intelligence how to move and behave like humans.
They’re teaching robots the ropes.
Angelenos in need of a quick buck are signing up for a futuristic side hustle — where humans get paid to help artificial intelligence understand the art of our everyday movements.
Call it poaching coaching.
Folks are wearing headsets are recording themselves doing housework for AI. AFP via Getty Images
As advancements in AI technologies continue to encroach on the human experience — from outpacing us at work to co-parenting our kids — natural born people are in danger of becoming totally replaceable with every passing moment.
But that can’t happen without our help, apparently — and now cash-strapped Californians hungry for the extra income are reportedly schooling the systems on the how-tos of mankind.
Instawork, a San Francisco-based recruitment firm, is behind the push — willing subjects wear headbands with phone mounts, on which they’re able to secure cellular devices or cameras, and record themselves doing housework and other menial tasks.
The data is then used to train AI on how to act.
“I need to do chores anyway,” Salvador Arciga, a part-time bot tutor, told the Los Angeles Times. “Now I get a chance to get paid to do it.”
Humanoid bots are rising as a hot commodity in the global tech market. China News Service via Getty Images
The piece-of-cake post can pay up to $80 for two hours of footage.
“Instawork connects workers to the jobs being created in the physical AI economy, including roles that help train, deploy, and maintain robots,” Instawork founder and CEO Sumir Meghani told The Post. “These positions pay as much as $40+/hour through the Instawork app and, more importantly, help our workers build real technical skills and earn certifications through Instawork. Required expertise varies based…
