DoorDash Introduces New Earning Opportunities for Couriers

DoorDash has rolled out an innovative way for couriers to earn extra cash. In a blog post released on Thursday, the food delivery company announced the launch of DoorDash Tasks, aimed at allowing users to help train artificial intelligence systems.

The tasks vary widely, from simple to somewhat intrusive. Some examples include snapping photos of restaurant dishes to enhance customer menus, capturing images of hotel entrances to aid future delivery drivers, and even assisting delivery robots that may have fallen or become stuck.

In addition, the company is testing a new standalone app enabling users to “complete activities like filming daily tasks or practicing their language skills.” According to a report, participants might film themselves doing household chores such as washing dishes or folding laundry.

The audio and video content generated in this way is expected to support the training of DoorDash’s AI models and those of its partners. Essentially, this could mean that the data collected might be sold or shared with businesses in sectors like retail, insurance, hospitality, and technology.

Interesting examples of the paid video tasks include showing how to wash dishes, with users needing to hold a clean dish steady in front of the camera for several seconds. This could potentially be utilized to help robots recognize various objects from specific angles.

DoorDash illustrated various task examples, such as grocery shopping and taking inventory of items on shelves. Ethan Beatty, the company’s general manager of tasks, noted, “If you don’t know what’s on the shelf, you can’t deliver to a door you can’t find or get someone a bottle of milk.” He further explained that the capabilities they’ve developed over the past decade can aid other companies too.

Beatty added that the goal of Tasks is to provide more companies with insights into ground-level realities while enabling couriers to achieve additional earnings on their terms.

Currently, payment for these tasks is provided upfront and is determined by the effort and complexity involved. However, it’s worth mentioning that this feature and the accompanying app are limited to certain U.S. regions, excluding areas like California, New York City, Seattle, and Colorado. DoorDash claims to have already completed more than two million tasks since 2024.