Gig workers are getting paid to film their daily chores to train robots

A fast‑growing gig‑economy trend in Los Angeles pays workers to film themselves doing everyday chores, creating first‑person datasets used to train next‑generation humanoid robots. Companies like Instawork and Sunain distribute head‑mounted and wrist‑mounted cameras so contributors can record natural human movements — from chopping vegetables to turning off a faucet — data that robots need to learn realistic physical behavior. Major tech players including Tesla, Google, Figure AI, and Dyna Robotics are racing to acquire this “physical AI” training data, with the global data‑collection market projected to reach $17 billion by 2030. Critics warn the work is underpaid and may help automate the very jobs workers rely on, but many participants see it simply as easy income for tasks they already do.

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