If you’ve been looking for ways to make money online recently, you’ve probably seen Outlier AI pop up. It’s one of the largest sites currently paying people to help train artificial intelligence.
But should we worry about it? Would this be a full-time remote job?
Here’s everything you need to know before signing up.
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What is aberrant AI?
Outlier AI is a site that pays people to help teach AI how to become smarter. It’s run by a company called Scale AI, which is one of the biggest and most trusted names in the AI industry. Scale AI is worth over $13 billion, so it’s a real, established company and not a fly-by-night startup.
In case you don’t understand how it works, AI systems learn from humans. These companies need real people to read the AI responses, evaluate them, spot errors, and write sample questions and answers. Outlier connects these businesses with workers like you who could do it from home.
So far, Outlier has reportedly paid out $500 million to its backers and operates in over 50 countries. You set your own hours and there is no minimum working time each week.
Who can apply for Outlier?
As AlignerOutlier seems to be looking for people with real knowledge or experience in specific areas. They prefer people with a college degree, or graduate students and people with advanced degrees like a master’s or doctorate.
The four main categories are coding, STEM, languages, and general work. The general category is the most accessible if you do not have very specialized training. If you write well, think critically, or know a lot about a specific topic, you may always be able to find something you can get paid for.
Outlier accepts contributors from over 50 countries, so it’s open worldwide, although available work and pay may differ depending on where you live. Workers based in the United States generally earn more than contributors in other countries.
One thing to know up front is that even if you meet all the requirements, it is not guaranteed to be suitable for a real project. Many people complete the entire registration process and then wait weeks or months before being assigned a job.
What is the timetable?
Outlier doesn’t require you to stick to a set schedule, but unfortunately you can’t count on available work. Projects open and close periodically, so having work at any time is not in your control.
What types of tasks does Outlier offer?
This will really vary depending on your background, your expertise and the project you will be placed on. But workers said they do the following for outliers:
- Write tricky questions and correct answers to help the AI learn
- Evaluate and compare AI responses to choose the best one
- Create scoring guides to judge whether AI answers are right or wrong
- Read AI-generated text and check its accuracy
- Testing AI to find weaknesses or wrong answers
- Code review for people with a programming background
- Expert work in fields like mathematics, science, law or medicine
Many people seem to enjoy this work because it makes them think. If you are interested in doing something more stupidit may not be for you.
How much can you make on outliers?
Salary depends on your skills, location, and the project you land on. Based on data from more than 1,400 contributors on Glassdoor, pay typically ranges from about $29 per hour for the low end to $66 per hour for more advanced reviewer roles.
Positions that require less experience and expertise pay between $15 and $30 per hour. Specialist roles in coding, STEM, and expert fields may pay more.
People working 15 to 20 hours per week during a busy project period reported earning between $1,800 and $3,600 per month. Some earned even more during particularly active periods.
But again, if no work is available, you won’t earn anything. So even if it goes well for a while, it might eventually dry up.
When do they pay?
Outlier pays once a week, every Tuesday, for work completed the previous week. You can get paid via PayPal, AirTM or direct bank deposit if you are in the United States.
One of the best things about Outlier is that you can see exactly how much you’ve earned for each task you complete. They are also known for paying on time.
What equipment is needed?
Outlier doesn’t require any special equipment outside of what you already have. If you have a computer or laptop with a decent internet connection, that’s probably enough.
The work you’re doing is entirely browser-based, so there shouldn’t be anything to download.
What do aberrant workers say?
Reviews of Outlier are all over the place, and there are good and bad.
On Trustpilot, Outlier has a rating of 4 out of 5 based on nearly 4,000 reviews.
On Glassdoor, the rating drops to 3.2 out of 5 based on 645 reviews.
On Reddit, in communities like r/WorkOnline and r/beermoney, where gig workers tend to be the most honest, the general sentiment is that Outlier is “legitimate but chaotic.” Most people say it’s not a scam, but not everyone has good experiences.
Here’s a good summary of what people are saying:
On the plus side, it’s an interesting, thought-provoking job, they pay on time, hours are flexible, and apparently their platform is pretty easy to use and get used to.
On the other hand, people say that work often dries up without warning. There were also comments about a complicated onboarding process, non-communicative support, projects being removed without warning or a valid reason, and then some workers being told they violated community guidelines without any further information about what they did.
I recommend researching Outlier on Reddit and Glassdoor and reading the reviews for yourself before signing up.
To summarize
Outlier AI is a real platform backed by a serious company. If you have knowledge on the subject, a little patience and you don’t count it as your main income, you might very well like it.
The frustration most workers face is not related to the scam. It’s about signing up, getting excited, and then sitting around doing nothing!
When there is work, it is well paid and it is interesting. When it doesn’t, there’s nothing you can do but wait for the job.
How to sign up for Outlier
If you want to try, go here to apply at Outlier.
Looking for other remote work options?
AI training platforms are great, but if you need something more reliable, Flexible jobs worth the detour.
Every ad on the site is reviewed before being posted so that you don’t encounter scams or jobs that aren’t actually remote.
If the unpredictability of AI work isn’t enough for your situation, FlexJobs is one of the best places I know to find something more stable. It’s $2.95 to try for 14 daysso there is little risk in signing up and browsing their hundreds of remote work postings.
Anna is a work-from-home blogger and mom of two. She has been researching and reviewing remote jobs for over 15 years. His findings are published weekly here on Real Ways to Earn.
