DoorDash Tasks app pays couriers for submitting videos to train AI
DoorDash announced on Thursday that it is launching a new, standalone “Tasks” app, which allows the company to pay its delivery couriers for completing assignments designed to improve AI and robotic systems. Couriers can earn money by filming everyday tasks or recording themselves speaking another language, DoorDash says.
“This data helps AI and robotic systems understand the physical world,” DoorDash stated in a blog post. “Payment is shown upfront and determined by the effort and complexity of each activity.”
Bloomberg reports that the original audio and video footage submitted by workers will be used to evaluate both the company’s in-house AI models and those developed by its partners across retail, insurance, hospitality, and technology.
One example of a task, according to Bloomberg, involves a courier filming their own hands washing at least five dishes while wearing a body camera, holding each clean dish in frame for a few seconds before moving to the next.
DoorDash is not alone in leveraging its delivery workforce to train AI models. Late last year, Uber announced plans to let drivers earn extra income by completing small jobs, such as uploading photos to help train AI models.

Image credit:DoorDash
In addition to the standalone Tasks app, delivery couriers will see new digital “Tasks” listed on the Dasher app. Examples include helping a restaurant showcase its menu by taking real photos of its dishes, or photographing a hotel entrance so delivery drivers can find the drop-off location more easily. DoorDash’s partnership with Waymo, where couriers are paid to close the doors of self-driving cars, is also listed as a task in the app.
“The goal of Tasks is to help more businesses understand what is happening on the ground and gather new insights, all while giving Dashers a new way to earn on their own terms,” said Ethan Beatty, General Manager of DoorDash Tasks, in the blog post. “There are more than 8 million Dashers who can reach almost anywhere in the U.S. and who want to earn flexibly beyond delivery. That’s a powerful capability to digitize the physical world.”
The in-app Tasks and the standalone Tasks app are available in select U.S. locations, excluding California, New York City, Seattle, and Colorado. DoorDash plans to expand to more task types and countries in the future.
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DoorDash announced on Thursday that it is launching a new, standalone “Tasks” app, which allows the company to pay its delivery couriers for completing assignments designed to improve AI and robotic systems. Couriers can earn money by filming everyday tasks or recording themselves speaking another language, DoorDash says.
“This data helps AI and robotic systems understand the physical world,” DoorDash stated in a blog post. “Payment is shown upfront and determined by the effort and complexity of each activity.”
Bloomberg reports that the original audio and video footage submitted by workers will be used to evaluate both the company’s in-house AI models and those developed by its partners across retail, insurance, hospitality, and technology.
One example of a task, according to Bloomberg, involves a courier filming their own hands washing at least five dishes while wearing a body camera, holding each clean dish in frame for a few seconds before moving to the next.
DoorDash is not alone in leveraging its delivery workforce to train AI models. Late last year, Uber announced plans to let drivers earn extra income by completing small jobs, such as uploading photos to help train AI models.

Image credit:DoorDash
In addition to the standalone Tasks app, delivery couriers will see new digital “Tasks” listed on the Dasher app. Examples include helping a restaurant showcase its menu by taking real photos of its dishes, or photographing a hotel entrance so delivery drivers can find the drop-off location more easily. DoorDash’s partnership with Waymo, where couriers are paid to close the doors of self-driving cars, is also listed as a task in the app.
“The goal of Tasks is to help more businesses understand what is happening on the ground and gather new insights, all while giving Dashers a new way to earn on their own terms,” said Ethan Beatty, General Manager of DoorDash Tasks, in the blog post. “There are more than 8 million Dashers who can reach almost anywhere in the U.S. and who want to earn flexibly beyond delivery. That’s a powerful capability to digitize the physical world.”
The in-app Tasks and the standalone Tasks app are available in select U.S. locations, excluding California, New York City, Seattle, and Colorado. DoorDash plans to expand to more task types and countries in the future.
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