# What AI companies pay for recording real-world work: pay rates tracker (Nov 2026)

> Published and reported pay for recording real-world work for AI and robots, Nov 2026: Amelia, DoorDash Tasks, Tesla, Claru, micro1, Kled and more, with sources.

Canonical: https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai/pay-rates-tracker
By: Origin Data Partners
Status: Published
Published: 2026-11-05
Updated: 2026-11-05
Sources checked: 2026-11-05

## Quick answer

Published pay for recording real-world work for AI ranges from about $5 an hour (Claru listings in Asia) to $25 an hour (Waffle missions and DoorDash chore tasks, as reported), and Tesla's employed Optimus data collection operators earn $25.25 to $34.50 an hour plus benefits. For businesses, Amelia Robotics publishes $500 to $2,000 a month per recording employee, which works out to about $10 per approved hour paid to the business. Rates below were checked on 4 Nov 2026.

## Key points

- Most consumer apps pay per approved task or per hour of accepted video, and many do not publish a rate.
- Rates vary by country: the same company can pay $15 an hour in the US and $5 an hour in Asia.
- Recorded time is not paid time. Rejections, upload minimums and withdrawal fees cut real earnings.

## How much do AI companies pay to record real-world work?

Most programs pay between $5 and $25 for an hour of accepted footage, and a few pay less. Full-time employed roles pay more per hour but require shifts at the company's site. Only a handful of programs publish a rate at all; others show pay inside the app, task by task.

If you own a business, the figure that matters is different: what the business is paid for a crew's approved hours. Amelia Robotics is the program we found that publishes one. For the list of companies, see [companies that pay to record work](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai/companies-that-pay-to-record-work).


## Pay rates tracker: published and reported rates

Every row links to a page we opened on 4 Nov 2026. "Reported" means a news outlet stated the figure; "published" means the company did.

| Program | Who is paid | Pay | Basis | Type | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Amelia Robotics (business) | The business | $500 to $2,000 per recording employee a month; about $10 per approved hour | Monthly, approved hours | Typical pay | [Amelia](https://ameliarobotics.com/) |
| Amelia Chores | Individual | Shown in the app before each chore | Per approved chore, paid Fridays | Published (in app) | [Amelia Chores](https://ameliachores.com/) |
| DoorDash Tasks | Dasher | Up to $25 an hour for chore recording | Fixed per task, shown upfront | Reported | [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/interactive/2026/robot-chores-video-data/) |
| DoorDash Tasks (photos) | Dasher | $36 for 30 minutes (one worker) | Per task | Reported | [Entrepreneur](https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/doordash-offers-gig-workers-tasks) |
| Tesla data collection operator | Employee | $25.25 to $34.50/hr + cash and stock awards + benefits | Hourly, full-time | Published | [Tesla careers](https://www.tesla.com/careers/search/job/data-collection-operator-optimus-253975) |
| Tesla (2024 listing) | Employee | $25.25 to $48/hr | Hourly, full-time | Reported | [Business Insider](https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-job-training-optimus-robot-motion-capture-suit-2024-8) |
| Claru (US listings) | Contractor | $15/hr | Flat hourly, bi-weekly | Published | [Claru](https://claru.ai/jobs/retail-capture-us) |
| Claru (Asia listings) | Contractor | $5/hr | Flat hourly, bi-weekly | Published | [Claru](https://claru.ai/jobs/household-capture-asia) |
| micro1 | Contractor | $15/hr (recorder in Nigeria) | Hourly | Reported | [MIT Technology Review](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/01/1134863/humanoid-data-training-gig-economy-2026-breakthrough-technology/) |
| Instawork | Gig worker | $80 for two hours of footage | Per assignment | Reported | [Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2026-03-12/why-people-in-la-are-strapping-cameras-on-their-bodies-to-do-chores) |
| Waffle | Individual | $25 per hour of video | Per accepted video | Reported | [WIRED](https://www.wired.com/story/household-chores-training-robots/) |
| Luel | Individual | $6.60 per hour of video | Per accepted video | Reported | [WIRED](https://www.wired.com/story/household-chores-training-robots/) |
| Kled | Individual | Low, medium or high pay labels | Per accepted task | Reported (May 2026) | [WIRED](https://www.wired.com/story/household-chores-training-robots/) |
| Figure Index | Individual | Paid by the minute; $15M paid in total by Aug 2026 | Per recorded minute | Published / reported | [Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoetsier/2026/08/26/figure-launches-gig-platform-to-get-humans-to-do-work-to-train-robots-will-spend-1-billion/) |
| Unnamed firms (Indonesia worker) | Individual | $3 to $10 an hour | Hourly | Reported | [ABC News](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-20/egocentric-training-gig-workers-helping-robots-learn-tasks/107135216) |


## Why do pay rates vary so much?

Location is the biggest factor. Claru lists the same kind of work at $15 an hour in the US and $5 an hour in Asia. Appen told [ABC News](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-20/egocentric-training-gig-workers-helping-robots-learn-tasks/107135216) it is shifting collection toward the US and Canada, where robots are likely to be sold first, because footage from lower-cost countries has become commoditised.

Quality rules come next. Footage is paid only if it meets the brief: hands in frame, steady camera, the full task shown. WIRED had a video rejected because its hands were visible in too few frames. Skill matters too: footage of a trade task in a real workplace is harder to get than a kitchen chore.

- Approved versus recorded: you are paid for accepted footage only.
- Payout minimums: WIRED found one app required 100 uploads before any payout.
- Withdrawal fees: one worker told ABC some companies charged about $1 to withdraw balances under $10.


## What do robotics companies pay for the data?

One estimate quoted in [Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoetsier/2026/08/26/figure-launches-gig-platform-to-get-humans-to-do-work-to-train-robots-will-spend-1-billion/) puts egocentric human capture at $2 to $5 an hour and robot teleoperation data at $50 to $200 an hour. Teleoperation costs more because a person has to drive an expensive robot slowly. Prices for licensed, labelled datasets are negotiated privately and are not published.

For more on the buyer side, see Origin's [video data prices tracker](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/video-data-prices-tracker) and [how robots learn from video](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai/how-robots-learn-from-video).


## How does business pay compare with individual apps?

Amelia's business example works out to about $10 per approved hour, paid to the business, which then sets the crew's share. Individual apps pay the person directly, usually per task. The business route suits work that only happens on the job, such as installing a water heater or packing orders, which no one can record at home.

At the typical rate, 10 crew members recording 25 approved hours a week each would bring the business about $10,000 a month (10 x 25 x 4 x $10). This is illustrative; your agreement and approved hours decide actual pay. [See how the business program works](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai).

Source: [Amelia Robotics: business program (checked Nov 2026)](https://ameliarobotics.com/)

## How this tracker was compiled

We opened each company page or news article on 4 Nov 2026 and recorded the figure as written, with a saved quote for every number. We list a rate only if a company published it or a major outlet reported it. We left out rates that appeared only on social media, forums or job aggregators, including figures for Amelia Chores and Scale AI's contributor work.

Rates change often and many apps vary pay by task, city and demand. Treat the table as a dated snapshot, and check the current rate in the app or listing before you start.


## Next step

Estimate what your own crew could bring in at Amelia's example rate with the calculator on the [physical AI hub](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai).

Origin Data Partners is independent. We may be paid by our partner when a business we introduce is paid; it never comes out of your earnings. [How Origin is paid](https://origindatapartners.com/referral-disclosure).


## Questions and answers

### How much do you get paid to record chores for AI?

Published and reported rates we checked range from about $5 to $25 an hour of accepted footage, depending on the company, country and task.

### How much does Tesla pay data collection operators?

A Palo Alto listing checked in November 2026 pays $25.25 to $34.50 an hour plus cash and stock awards and benefits. A 2024 listing reported by Business Insider went up to $48 an hour.

### How much does DoorDash Tasks pay?

Pay is fixed per task and shown upfront. The Washington Post reported up to $25 an hour for chore recording.

### How much does Amelia pay businesses?

Amelia's typical pay is $500 to $2,000 a month per recording employee, assuming 12.5 to 50 approved hours a week, about $10 per approved hour. Earnings vary.

### Why was my recording rejected?

Most programs reject footage where hands leave the frame, the camera shakes, faces or private details appear, or the task is incomplete. Read the brief before recording.

### Is paid time the same as recorded time?

No. Programs pay for approved or accepted footage only, so check how much of your recording is typically accepted.

## Sources

- [Amelia Robotics: business program (checked Nov 2026)](https://ameliarobotics.com/)
- [Amelia Robotics: for robotics labs](https://ameliarobotics.com/robotics-labs)
- [Amelia Chores](https://ameliachores.com/)
- [Tesla careers: Data Collection Operator, Optimus](https://www.tesla.com/careers/search/job/data-collection-operator-optimus-253975)
- [Business Insider: Tesla pays up to $48 an hour (2024)](https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-job-training-optimus-robot-motion-capture-suit-2024-8)
- [Washington Post: robot chores video data](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/interactive/2026/robot-chores-video-data/)
- [Entrepreneur: DoorDash Tasks](https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/doordash-offers-gig-workers-tasks)
- [Claru: retail capture (US)](https://claru.ai/jobs/retail-capture-us)
- [Claru: household capture (Asia)](https://claru.ai/jobs/household-capture-asia)
- [MIT Technology Review: humanoid data gig work](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/01/1134863/humanoid-data-training-gig-economy-2026-breakthrough-technology/)
- [Los Angeles Times: chore recording in LA](https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2026-03-12/why-people-in-la-are-strapping-cameras-on-their-bodies-to-do-chores)
- [WIRED: a week recording chores for money](https://www.wired.com/story/household-chores-training-robots/)
- [Forbes: Figure Index and data prices](https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoetsier/2026/08/26/figure-launches-gig-platform-to-get-humans-to-do-work-to-train-robots-will-spend-1-billion/)
- [ABC News (Australia): egocentric training gig workers](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-20/egocentric-training-gig-workers-helping-robots-learn-tasks/107135216)

## Related reading

- [/physical-ai](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai)
- [Companies that pay businesses and people to record work for AI and robot training (2026)](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai/companies-that-pay-to-record-work)
- [Tesla data collection operator (Optimus): pay, the job, and alternatives](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai/tesla-data-collection-operator)
- [DoorDash Tasks: what it is, what it pays, and how it compares](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai/doordash-tasks)
- [AI video training data prices and deals tracker: per minute, per hour and per deal (2024 to 2026)](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/video-data-prices-tracker)
- [Do robotics companies pay warehouses for video of picking and packing?](https://origindatapartners.com/physical-ai/warehouses)