Uber drivers can earn during downtime by training its algorithm

Uber could package this labelled data—or the insights derived from it—into a commercial service for external clients such as enterprises, AV developers, logistics firms, or city agencies seeking ground-truth, frequently refreshed geospatial datasets.

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Uber's move reflects a shift in the internet economy, where the line between service and information work is blurring.

(BLOOMBERG)

This could be channelled through Uber’s AI Solutions unit, which already offers data-labelling services to third parties.

Uber's push follows its US arm’s acquisition of Belgium-based Segments.ai, a data-labelling startup, in early October this year as platforms with large physical touchpoints are shifting from passively collecting micro-data to actively curating and monetising it

“For a mature platform like Uber, growth is now less about adding rides and more about extracting value from the same network,” said Farheen, analyst at the Centre for Critical and Emerging Technologies. “If drivers can use downtime to gather and label data, the company gets more out of every minute they're on the clock.”