Through Outlier, a part of the Scale family of products and services, we connect experts from across domains and around the world with opportunities to train and evaluate generative AI. This global effort is unprecedented in two ways:

First, the work of these experts is leading to new advancements in cutting-edge generative AI models, a technology that will improve how we work and make life more efficient.
Second, as AI advances, it is creating an entirely new field of flexible work opportunities that previously did not exist. Generative AI models require input from every major domain of human intelligence, ranging from math, chemistry, law, history to coding, languages, and dozens of other fields. For experts in any one of these fields, Outlier provides an opportunity for supplemental income using their knowledge to help shape the future of AI.

As we enter the holiday season here in the United States, we want to take the opportunity to thank the contributors who have joined us on this journey. Outlier’s success is made possible by the contributors who choose to work on the platform, and we are grateful to support their work in this emerging field.

The experts who work on Outlier are an inspiring group of people with diverse skills and life experiences. For example, when we recently analyzed contributors in the US, we learned 79% have a bachelor's degree, more than triple the rate of the U.S. adult population. Of those, 22% have a master’s degree and 8% have a PhD. Contributors include STEM students, doctoral researchers, linguists, and more from every corner of the globe, all united by an interest in improving generative AI.

Everyday, as we learn more about the contributors on Outlier, we are humbled by the positive stories about how working on AI is making an impact on contributors’ daily lives. Through ongoing surveys and interviews of contributors, we have found three key themes in what attracts people to the work opportunities found on Outlier: flexible economic opportunity, intellectually engaging work, and an interest in improving AI.

Flexible Economic Opportunity. It’s no surprise one of the top reasons people love working on Outlier is the flexibility it affords and the access to competitive pay. There are few opportunities for experts to apply and monetize their specific talents outside of full-time work, but platforms like Outlier make that possible.

For example, Valeria, an actor and a teacher in Peru described how having control over her calendar enables her to earn money while continuing to work as an artist. As she said, “My favorite part is the freedom. You can adjust it to any type of career that you have on the side. I’m an artist and my schedule can change from week to week. If you have time, you can just make money on the side and it's very helpful.”
Intellectually Engaging Work. Another top reason contributors are drawn to working on advancing GenAI is the intellectual challenge. Creating high-quality data involves testing and evaluating a model’s performance, which requires humans with deep expertise in a subject to know whether or not a model’s answers are accurate. For example, we recently met a math specialist who used to compete in the International Math Olympiad who described Outlier as an outlet for once again getting to solve advanced math problems.

Another contributor, Toni, lives in Germany and has a PhD in computer science and works full-time as a software engineer and works on Outlier in their free time. On Outlier, Toni specializes in software coding and enjoys the chance to continue learning more about their field of expertise. As Toni put it, working as a contributor offers “good experience [to] understand how LLM’s work.”
Interest in Improving AI. We also found that many contributors enjoy playing a role in improving the performance of AI models. AI is reshaping the way our world works, and many express interest and excitement in being a part of that seismic shift.

To tap into this interest, Outlier contributors have the option to participate in expert forums, sharing information with one another about what they are learning and understanding how models are behaving. Through their work on Outlier, contributors get to test the frontier of the world’s most advanced AI models and see those models improve over time as a result of their work.

Nathália lives in Brazil and works as an English teacher. On Outlier, she specializes as a linguist and enjoys knowing that her work is improving the ability of AI models to better represent her native language. “I understand [AI’s] limits much better than I did before. I see that the work we're doing is actually improving the quality of the AI.”

These are just a few of the hundreds of thousands of faces of contributors finding work on Outlier. Thank you to everyone who has taken part in this community so far. We look forward to creating new opportunities on the platform and celebrating the stories of the contributors who have joined us along the way.