Californians 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.” 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. Obviously, that can’t happen without our help, and apparently cash-strapped Californians are schooling systems on the how-tos of mankind. 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. Salvador Arciga, one of the part-time bot tutors, explained the job this way: “I need to do chores anyway; now I get a chance to get paid to do it.” These positions pay as much as $40 an hour, which is nothing to sneeze at if you’re looking to supplement your income. Argica says he has already pocketed $1,200. “It’s like getting paid for breathing.”
