Some journalists are taking freelance jobs with AI training data companies like Scale AI, which recruit them for tasks such as fact-checking and prompt drafting
The gig work platform Outlier is one of several companies courting journalists to train large language models (LLMs). Bluesky: @andrewdeck , @tylerborchers.com , @tonymartin , and @amywestervelt . Mastodon: @aulia@mementomori.social See also Mediagazer Bluesky: Andrew Deck / @andrewdeck : Outlier is one of several gig work platforms recruiting journalists to train AI models. Its clients including Meta, OpenAI, and Microsoft. — I spoke to journalists working with the company for @niemanlab.org. Many are freelancers struggling to find full-time work. www.niemanlab.org/2025/02/meet... Tyler Borchers / @tylerborchers.com : “Their work indexes heavily on fact-checking, including identifying hallucinations by models or marking when chatbots pull from incorrect sources on the internet. Many of them compared it to ‘spot checking’ a story.” Tony Martin / @tonymartin : Meet the journalists sawing off the branch they're sitting on. www.niemanlab.org/2025/02/meet... Amy Westervelt / @amywestervelt : Anyone who does this is a fucking scab — www.niemanlab.org/2025/02/meet... Mastodon: Aulia Masna / @aulia@mementomori.social : @Techmeme Outlier is just one of several platforms that offer journalists around the world to train AI in several different languages. I get a lot of these open roles on LinkedIn's job suggestions asking for AI trainers in my language and I know people who've taken it up to keep themselves afloat in a scarce job market. … See also Mediagazer