AI is forcing companies for layoffs, job cuts but this startup is paying humans ₹1,900 per hour to walk robots; details

A San Francisco startup is offering $20 an hour to people willing to walk robot dogs through city streets. The job is part of Dimensional's effort to collect real-world navigation data and improve how AI agents control robots without human intervention.

San Francisco-based robotics startup Dimensional advertised a $20-an-hour job for people to walk four-legged robots through city streets. The experiment aims to collect real-world data to improve how AI agents control robots.

As artificial intelligence (AI) raises concerns about automation and job cuts, a San Francisco startup is offering an unusual paid opportunity: walking robot dogs for $20 an hour, or approximately ₹1,900.

According to a report by The New York Times, robotics startup Dimensional advertised for people to operate four-legged robots on outdoor routes lasting four to six hours. The job required no previous robotics experience and included paid training.

What did the robot-dog walking job involve?

Selected workers were expected to guide robotic dogs along designated routes around San Francisco using a handheld remote or mobile application.

However, the job came with an unusual requirement. Applicants had to be comfortable “safely handling equipment weighing about 33 pounds.”

The robots could suddenly stop functioning or overheat during a walk. In such cases, operators would have to carry them back to the startup's office in San Francisco's Dogpatch neighbourhood.

Why is the startup paying people to walk robots?

Dimensional is developing an open-source operating system that aims to allow AI agents to control robots and perform physical tasks with minimal human intervention.

Its founder, 26-year-old Stash Pomichter, told The New York Times that human operators were helping the company collect real-world navigation data through cameras and sensors fitted to the robots.

The startup compared the machines' performance under human control with their performance when operated by AI agents.

Anjali Thakur