DoorDash announced on Thursday the launch of a new, dedicated “Tasks” app, an initiative designed to compensate its delivery couriers for completing assignments aimed at enhancing artificial intelligence and robotic systems. Through this platform, couriers will have the opportunity to earn money by engaging in activities such as filming everyday tasks or recording themselves speaking in different languages, as stated by DoorDash.
“This data helps AI and robotic systems understand the physical world,” DoorDash articulated in a blog post. The company further clarified that “Pay is shown upfront and determined based on effort and complexity of the activity.”
According to a report from Bloomberg, the original audio and video footage submitted by participating workers will be utilized to evaluate both DoorDash’s proprietary AI models and those developed by its strategic partners across the retail, insurance, hospitality, and technology sectors.
An illustrative example of such a task, as reported by Bloomberg, involves a courier using a body camera to capture footage of their hands washing a minimum of five dishes, ensuring each clean dish remains in frame for several seconds before proceeding to the next.
DoorDash is not alone in leveraging its extensive delivery workforce for AI model training. Late last year, Uber unveiled plans to enable its drivers to earn supplementary income by completing minor tasks, including uploading photos to aid in the training of AI models.
Beyond the standalone Tasks app, delivery couriers will also discover new digital “Tasks” integrated within the existing Dasher app. These may include assisting a restaurant by taking authentic photos of its menu items or photographing a hotel entrance to facilitate easier navigation for delivery drivers seeking drop-off locations. The company’s partnership with Waymo, which involves couriers being paid to close the doors of self-driving cars, is also listed as an available task within the app.
“The goal of Tasks is to help more businesses understand what’s happening on the ground and gather new insights, all while giving Dashers a new way to earn on their own terms,” commented Ethan Beatty, General Manager, DoorDash Tasks, in the blog post. He added, “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.”
Both the in-app Tasks feature and the standalone Tasks app are currently accessible in select areas across the U.S., with the notable exceptions of California, New York City, Seattle, and Colorado. DoorDash has announced future plans to expand the availability of more task types and extend the program to additional countries.
The Editorial Staff at AIChief is a team of professional content writers with extensive experience in AI and marketing. Founded in 2025, AIChief has quickly grown into the largest free AI resource hub in the industry.