Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the fastest growing fields today, with technology companies pouring billions of dollars into designing and training models for applications ranging from personal healthcare to professional business purposes to entertainment. Getting all these models ready to roll out requires a huge amount of human training time, which is why AI training jobs are now some of the fastest growing work-from-home opportunities.
Unlike many other remote work opportunities, AI training is an easy field to break into once you know how to get started. To help you get started as an AI trainer, we’ll explain what you need to know to break into this exciting, potentially high-paying field of remote work.
Types of AI trainer jobs
One of the great things about training AI systems is that it’s a job that almost anyone can do, as long as they have a strong sense of grammar and an eye for detail. In the world of conversational AI, large language models (LLMs) use algorithms to learn to “think” by developing patterns based on human conversation. This adaptive process, known as machine learning, continuously improves generative AI models, giving the world a variety of useful products, such as helpful chatbots, virtual therapists, and Facebook apps that turn users into royalty.
While each bot has a different goal, most projects aim to generate natural, reasoned responses and need workers to help them achieve that. Workers at the top AI training sites that advertise on Glassdoor and Linkedin (such as DataAnnotation Tech, Outlier, and Remotasks) have access to a wide range of tasks depending on their performance on the assessment.
These are just a few examples of the types of AI training jobs and projects you might take on.
Labeling Data
In data labeling projects, workers help AI better identify content within images. Projects include looking at a photo to determine how many people it contains, or editing machine-generated captions to better identify text and numbers in an image.
coding
Coding tasks involve debugging answers by working with models that generate content containing code in Python, JavaScript, PHP, etc. Coding-related tasks are one of the high-paying opportunities on most data training sites.
Role-playing chatbot
Workers help create roles and characters, test the models, trick them into going out of character, and even chat with chatbots based on famous real-life or fictional people.
Writing Task
In some projects, workers are asked to create entire conversations, crafting both user prompts and model responses, or they might be asked to develop complex prompts to test the chatbot’s ability to brainstorm, summarize, or produce high-quality professional or creative writing.
Harmless and helpful content
Many projects focus on improving a model’s ability to generate useful content without hallucinating (giving answers that don’t make sense, a common problem in AI), while other projects might test a bot’s ability to safely and respectfully answer questions that could potentially lead to harmful or sensitive content.
There are many different types of AI training jobs
Tech companies are constantly developing AI for new applications, so this list isn’t exhaustive. The point is, if you get certified and keep doing quality work, you’ll likely have a variety of AI training jobs to choose from, making your job that much more interesting. Depending on where you work, you might even be able to set up a workflow so that you spend time on several different types of projects on any given day.
Benefits of AI training jobs
If you can prove you have it, AI training jobs are a great way to supplement your income or even pay your rent in full. New jobs are constantly being posted, and because of the sheer amount of work being posted, many AI sites allow you to work as much as you want. This can easily be 40+ hours a week if you’re a diligent worker. Many of these sites also pay more frequently than traditional job salaries, which can be a big help between paydays.
Pay for data training varies depending on the work and where you work, but many AI training jobs range from $18 to $45 per hour. In the US, this is considered contract work, so no taxes are automatically deducted from your pay. However, if you work from home, you can claim various tax deductions, including for computer supplies and internet service.
For many workers, the best thing about AI training jobs is their flexibility. Most jobs allow workers to log in and work whenever they want, clocking in a few hours after their 9-to-5 shift is over or logging in a few hours after the kids are in bed.
Get an AI job with no experience
Many AI training jobs will ask about your education and experience in related roles, but they tend to emphasize your ability to execute rather than what’s on your resume. Depending on your digital literacy and English language skills, it’s possible to get into AI training without experience, a degree, or having to spend money on special courses or certifications.
The key is to understand what they’re looking for and put in the time, effort, and focus required to get qualified. Whether you’re taking your first assessment or working on a starter task, to get a higher paying AI job you need to:
1. Take your time
It may seem counterintuitive to anyone who has worked with a time-sensitive manager, but when it comes to AI software development, quality is generally prioritized over speed. AI system administrators understand that producing quality results takes time, and they are typically much more interested in creating better AI models than in getting the job done quickly.
Taking the time to complete your onboarding qualifications is essential to show that you fully understand the type of work you’re being asked to do, so set aside a few hours to do your best before diving into the qualifications.
2. Read the instructions carefully
Many AI training jobs come with pages and pages of instructions. To do the job in a way that produces the content that companies want, workers need to fully understand these instructions. That’s why it’s important to read the instructions carefully when getting certified on an AI training site.
Even if a task seems relatively simple and straightforward, read it carefully at least once and then skim it again a few times as you work to make sure you’re following the instructions.
3. Find out as much as you can
Some of the qualification questions may include information about real-world events, historical figures, and other types of data. Don’t skim over it or take for granted that this information is accurate: AI models are notorious for producing hallucinations, and those hallucinations are often very subtle.
Some of the top companies operating in the AI field tend to value employees with a keen eye for spotting these types of errors. Look for anything that isn’t general knowledge you come across in your qualifications and highlight these errors whenever possible to show that you have the required capabilities.
4. Use proofing tools
Most AI training jobs are writing-based, so strong grammar, punctuation, and spelling skills in Standard American English (SAE) are some of the best qualifications you can bring to the table. But you don’t have to be perfect, as long as you can write pretty well and have the right tools at your disposal.
If you don’t already have one, sign up for a punctuation and grammar app like Grammarly to check your answers before you hit send. Or, you can copy and paste your writing into a Google Doc and run a spelling and grammar check. And no matter how many years of experience you have as a writer, it never hurts to double-check the accuracy of your writing.
5. Write in complete sentences
Unless explicitly specified, most AI training jobs expect chatbot responses and user feedback to contain complete sentences, and if asked to explain why, it’s always better to prioritize completeness.
6. Get creative
When you’re given assignments that require creativity, try to think outside the box. Even if you feel like you have no creative talent whatsoever, try a little harder on these assignments. And remember: following instructions closely is just as important in creative writing assignments as it is in more dry, data-driven materials.
7. Read your work out loud
Remember, the goal of most AI training jobs is to assist with natural language processing and create natural, conversational responses rather than robotically written text. One of the best ways to check this quality of your work is to simply read it out loud. You might be surprised that something looks fine when printed, but sounds a bit “off” when spoken.
8. Learn Markdown and JSON
Markdown and JSON are two easy-to-learn text formatting concepts that sometimes come up in AI training tasks and certification exams. You don’t need to learn everything about them to perform well on these tasks. Just take a little time to read up on how they work and you’ll be ready to go.
Improving AI training skills
If you want to get a higher-paying AI training job but are having trouble getting certified, there are a few things you can do to improve your qualifications.
- Sharpen your SAE grammar, spelling, and punctuation skills.
- Download apps to learn to code.
- Watch the video on AI data training to understand how different tasks work.
Once you meet the basic qualification requirements for a data training site, there are a few things you can do to improve your job listing. On sites like DataAnnotation.Tech, performing well on certain tasks can lead to higher-paying jobs, so it’s important to always bring your best foot forward. Keep an eye out for certification opportunities. From time to time, AI training jobs open in certain specialties, from real estate to math tutoring.
AI training job summary
With all the opportunities available in this ever-evolving field, now is the perfect time to brush up on your qualifications and start working in AI training. Whether you’re looking for a part-time AI side hustle or looking to make AI your full-time career in the future, the potential for growth is wide open.
