Outlier AI, owned by Scale AI, is a fully remote company with claims to hire people (freelancers) to train AI models. The company seeks experts across different fields; essentially, anyone with a degree. That being said, the company does have one major peculiarity. Despite claiming to operate around the world, it only caters to certain locations.
Apart from ticking the location box, Outlier AI prefers candidates with graduate degrees and a strong command of English. Reviewers of the company have stated another peculiarity: there’s a lengthy onboarding and training process before the actual work.
Even though a candidate possesses a graduate degree, Outlier AI requires potential recruits to qualify themselves for each job by undertaking a number of “tests”. The candidate would be tasked with reading through the guidelines and completing the associated assessment. That in itself isn’t so bad; however, these qualifying tasks reportedly take one to two hours to complete.
Outlier AI Review
I came across an enlightening LinkedIn post detailing the realities of applying to and working for Outlier AI. The post took on a negative tone; the comments were also not too far off, although there were a few positive reports.
According to INC., this outreach process is commonplace with Outlier AI. A New York Journalist had received multiple LinkedIn messages advertising the job. After the second message, the subsequent outreaches bore a “sponsored” tag.
In the shared LinkedIn post, one major source of concern highlighted by commenters and reviewers was the request for personal information. Candidates who were about to be onboarded expressed concerns over giving out their identifications (passports, national IDs, and driver’s licenses) to a company they aren’t sure of.
Others have weighed in on this and provided their personal experience.
Aside from issues with receiving payment, technical glitches, inconsistent jobs and pay rates, and a lack of support were also reported. The bad reviews aren’t limited to LinkedIn; an earlier thread on Reddit has workers expressing frustrations over unpaid work.
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These reviews are from far back (2 years prior), but according to a post on The San Diego Union Tribune, this trajectory continued until early 2025, when the reviews took on a positive tone.
Writer, Kathy Kristof, reports that the site had gathered dozens of 5-star reviews on Indeed starting in mid-February. These positive reviews reportedly came from people self-described as “AI Trainers”
Caution
It’s safe to say that, although positive reviews have begun to pour in, prospective candidates should still possess a degree of skepticism. Yes, you can get paid to train AI, but Outlier AI may not be the best place to do so.
FAQs
1. Does Outlier AI Actually Pay?
Outlier AI has been noted for issues with providing payment for work done. Also, there was a report that stated that Outlier AI provided inconsistent rates for the same job. One reviewer noted that a recruiter reached out initially to offer $21/hour. Subsequent follow-up messages offered $40/hour, then $25/hour.
2. Can You Actually Get Paid to Train AI?
Yes, you can get paid to train AI. One area of artificial intelligence receiving mass attention is its accuracy. There is a demand for AI models that hallucinate less.
3. Is Outlier AI Legit in 2025?
Reviews of Outlier AI are mixed, but they generally tilt towards the negative. A blog post from the San Diego Union-Tribune reports strong negative reviews with details of being scammed. However, the report goes further to state that the reviews took on a positive tone starting mid-February.
4. How Much Do AI Trainers Get Paid?
There is no fixed pay for AI trainers. It ultimately comes down to the expertise of the trainer and the level of skill the job demands. That being said, according to ZipRecruiter, the average hourly pay for an AI trainer in the US is $31.24.
