DataAnnotation for AI trainers
Get paid to teach AI your expertise
- Open jobs
- 113
- Median pay
- $83/hr
- Typical pay
- $25–130/hr
- 1,973 reviews
- 3.9
About DataAnnotation
DataAnnotation is the worker platform of Surge AI, a San Francisco company that sells AI training data to AI labs. It hires generalists, coders, scientists, lawyers, doctors, accountants, and speakers of dozens of languages as independent contractors. They rate and rewrite chatbot answers, check AI code, and write hard prompts. DataAnnotation says more than 100,000 experts work on it. You pick your own projects and hours, with no minimum.
- Founded
- 2020 (Surge AI)
- Founder
- Edwin Chen (CEO of Surge AI)
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, USA
- Funding
- Self-funded ($1.2B revenue in 2024)
- Workers
- Independent contractors
- Payment
- PayPal, 7 days after the work
How hiring works
- Sign up on dataannotation.tech and take the Starter Assessment for your track, such as general, coding, math, or a language. It takes about 1 hour, and you can take it only once.
- Wait for the result. DataAnnotation says it replies in a few days, but many workers say they waited weeks or months, and some never hear back.
- If you pass, take the longer Core assessment or a specialist test, then verify your identity with a government ID and a selfie.
- Projects then show on your dashboard. Pick the ones you want. More specialist tests unlock better-paid projects.
What workers say
Good
- Most reviewers say PayPal payments arrive on time.
- No minimum hours: you choose when you work and which projects you take.
- Expert roles list $40 to $125+ an hour, and coding roles up to $150+.
Watch out for
- Many applicants never hear back after the Starter Assessment, or wait for months.
- Accounts can lose all projects overnight with no reason given. Workers on Reddit say they still got the pay they had earned.
- Support rarely replies, and work can dry up for weeks. Most recent Trustpilot reviews are 1 star.
Open jobs at DataAnnotation
Open jobs
Pay amount
113 jobs
Croatian SpecialistCroatianTranslationLocalizationCultural NuanceLanguage Evaluation+3$25–40/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Icelandic SpecialistIcelandicTranslationLocalizationCultural NuanceLanguage Evaluation+3$25–40/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Management ConsultantManagement ConsultingBusiness StrategyMarket ResearchStructured Problem SolvingProgram ManagementCommercial Due Diligence+6$40–125/hr
🌍 North America, Europe, and Oceania
RadiologistRadiologyMedical Image InterpretationRadiographyUltrasoundNuclear MedicineCT+7$40–125/hr
🌍 North America, Europe, and Oceania
Slovak SpecialistSlovakTranslationLocalizationCultural NuanceLanguage Evaluation+3$25–40/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Computational BiologistPythonRBioinformaticsGenomicsTranscriptomicsStatistical Genetics+5$40–125/hr
🌍 US, Canada, UK; Ireland and Australia may qualify
Drug Discovery ScientistMedicinal ChemistrySAR AnalysisComputational ChemistryAssay DevelopmentDMPKPK/PD+7$40–125/hr
🌍 North America, Europe and Oceania
Experimental BiologistMolecular BiologyCloningCell CultureProtein BiochemistryImmunologyFlow Cytometry+6$40–125/hr
🌍 North America, Europe and Oceania
Automation TechnicianMechanical EngineeringCADMechanics of MaterialsDynamicsThermodynamicsHeat Transfer+6$40–125/hr
🌍 North America, Europe and Oceania
Mechanical Design EngineerMechanical DesignCADMechanics of MaterialsDynamicsThermodynamicsHeat Transfer+6$40–125/hr
🌍 North America, Europe and Oceania
Mechanical DesignerMechanical DesignCADMechanics of MaterialsDynamicsThermodynamicsHeat Transfer+6$40–125/hr
🌍 North America, Europe and Oceania
Mechanical EngineerMechanical EngineeringCADMechanics of MaterialsDynamicsThermodynamicsHeat Transfer+6$40–125/hr
🌍 North America, Europe and Oceania
Senior Mechanical Design EngineerMechanical DesignCADMechanics of MaterialsDynamicsThermodynamicsHeat Transfer+6$40–125/hr
🌍 North America, Europe and Oceania
Validation EngineerMechanical EngineeringCADFailure AnalysisMechanics of MaterialsDynamicsThermodynamics+6$40–125/hr
🌍 North America, Europe and Oceania
Electronics EngineerCircuit AnalysisAnalog CircuitsRF CircuitsControl SystemsElectromagneticsSignal Processing+7$40–125/hr
🌍 Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, UK and US
Hardware EngineerCircuit AnalysisAnalog CircuitsRF CircuitsControl SystemsElectromagneticsSignal Processing+7$40–125/hr
🌍 Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, UK and US
Electrical EngineerCircuit AnalysisAnalog CircuitsRF CircuitsMixed-Signal CircuitsElectromagneticsControl Systems+7$40–125/hr
🌍 North America, Europe and Oceania
Embedded Systems DeveloperCircuit AnalysisAnalog CircuitsRF CircuitsMixed-Signal CircuitsElectromagneticsControl Systems+7$40–125/hr
🌍 North America, Europe and Oceania
PhysicistMechanicsElectromagnetismQuantum PhysicsThermodynamicsDimensional Analysis+3$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Application Security EngineerApplication SecurityCloud SecurityCode ReviewThreat ModelingVulnerability ResearchAccess Control+7$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
BiologistBiologyMolecular BiologyExperimental DesignData InterpretationLiterature Review+3$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
ChemistOrganic ChemistryInorganic ChemistryPhysical ChemistryAnalytical ChemistryChemical SynthesisSpectral Interpretation+6$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Cybersecurity ExpertSecurity EngineeringAuthenticationCryptographyInput ValidationSecret ManagementThreat Modeling+7$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
DesignerProduct DesignUX DesignVisual DesignUsabilityVisual HierarchyTypography+5$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Incident ResponderIncident ResponseDigital ForensicsSOC OperationsLog AnalysisIntrusion AnalysisIncident Containment+6$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
MathematicianPure MathematicsApplied MathematicsCompetition MathematicsMathematical ProofsLaTeX+4$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Penetration TesterPenetration TestingRed TeamingReconnaissanceExploitationPrivilege EscalationLateral Movement+6$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
AccountantBookkeepingFinancial ReportingTaxAccounting StandardsAccount ReconciliationJournal Entries+5$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
ActuaryActuarial MethodsProbabilityStatisticsReservingActuarial PricingStochastic Modeling+7$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
AttorneyLegal ResearchLegal WritingContract LawStatutory InterpretationLegal ProcedureCase Analysis+4$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
AuditorAudit PlanningInternal ControlsAudit SamplingAudit StandardsMaterialityEvidence Evaluation+7$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Backend EngineerBackend DevelopmentDatabasesAPI DesignConcurrencyPythonGo+7$40–150/hr
🌍 Worldwide
CardiologistCardiologyECG InterpretationCardiac ImagingDifferential DiagnosisRisk StratificationCardiovascular Guidelines+7$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Clinical Documentation SpecialistClinical Documentation IntegrityHealth Information ManagementClinical ValidationClinical Query PracticeHIPAAHealth Information Privacy+7$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Compliance OfficerRegulatory ComplianceRegulatory AnalysisPolicy InterpretationReporting ObligationsStatutory InterpretationRegulatory Guidance+5$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Contract ManagerContract DraftingContract ReviewContract ManagementContract RedliningCommercial TermsLegal Writing+5$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Corporate AccountantGAAPGeneral Ledger AccountingConsolidationsFinancial CloseAccrual Accounting+4$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Corporate AttorneyMergers and AcquisitionsCorporate GovernanceDeal StructuringContract DraftingCapital MarketsVenture Financing+5$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Credit AnalystCredit AnalysisUnderwritingCredit RiskFinancial Statement AnalysisDebt Structuring+3$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Data ScientistPythonSQLNotebooksData AnalysisStatisticsStatistical Methodology+3$40–150/hr
🌍 Worldwide
DevOps EngineerCI/CDInfrastructure as CodeCloud OperationsTerraformKubernetesDocker+4$40–150/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Equity Research AnalystEquity ResearchCompany ModelingValuationFinancial Statement AnalysisInvestment Analysis+4$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Finance ExpertCorporate FinanceFP&AThree-Statement ModelingDiscounted Cash FlowAccountingWorking Capital+4$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Financial Reporting ManagerTechnical AccountingSEC ReportingUS GAAPASC 606ASC 842Financial Disclosures+6$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
FP&A AnalystFP&AForecastingBudgetingDriver-Based ModelingManagement ReportingVariance Analysis+3$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Frontend EngineerReactTypeScriptCSSState ManagementWeb AccessibilityUI Development+4$40–150/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Full Stack EngineerJavaScriptFull-Stack DevelopmentAPI DevelopmentDatabase DesignDebugging+4$40–150/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Healthcare Compliance SpecialistHIPAAHealthcare CompliancePrivacy RulesSecurity RulesRegulatory Analysis+3$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Healthcare Operations ManagerHealthcare AdministrationMedical BillingMedical CodingInsurance WorkflowsPractice OperationsScheduling+5$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Insurance UnderwriterInsurance UnderwritingClaims AnalysisReinsuranceRisk SelectionInsurance PricingPolicy Interpretation+5$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
No jobs match these filters. Try a different search or clear the filters.
Open jobs by category
Hourly pay of open jobs
- Under $250 open jobs
- $25–5043 open jobs
- $50–750 open jobs
- $75–10070 open jobs
- $100–1500 open jobs
- $150–2000 open jobs
- $200 or more0 open jobs
Frequently Asked Questions about DataAnnotation
How much does DataAnnotation pay?
DataAnnotation has 113 open jobs on this site. The median pay is $83/hr, and most jobs pay $25–130/hr. Each job page shows its own rate.
How does DataAnnotation pay workers?
DataAnnotation pays in USD through PayPal, and its job pages list weekly payouts. Workers on Reddit say pay for hourly work becomes transferable 7 days after you log the time. You can then move it to PayPal at once, but only once every 3 days. Some workers in countries without PayPal say they get paid through Payoneer. Its terms let DataAnnotation reject work it finds inadequate, and rejected work is not paid. You pay your own taxes.
How do I get hired at DataAnnotation?
1. Sign up on dataannotation.tech and take the Starter Assessment for your track, such as general, coding, math, or a language. It takes about 1 hour, and you can take it only once. 2. Wait for the result. DataAnnotation says it replies in a few days, but many workers say they waited weeks or months, and some never hear back. 3. If you pass, take the longer Core assessment or a specialist test, then verify your identity with a government ID and a selfie. 4. Projects then show on your dashboard. Pick the ones you want. More specialist tests unlock better-paid projects.
Is DataAnnotation legit?
Yes. DataAnnotation belongs to Surge AI, a San Francisco company founded in 2020 by Edwin Chen. Surge made $1.2B in revenue in 2024 without outside funding, and it works with AI companies such as Meta and OpenAI. DataAnnotation pays through PayPal, it never asks you for money, and it has 3.9 of 5 on Trustpilot from about 2,000 reviews. In May 2025, a worker filed a class action in California that says Surge should treat its workers as employees, not contractors.
How are DataAnnotation and Surge AI related?
DataAnnotation is the worker platform of Surge AI. Surge sells AI training data to AI labs, and DataAnnotation finds and pays the people who do the work. When you join, you accept terms with Surge Labs, Inc., the legal name of Surge AI, and you work as an independent contractor. The DataAnnotation logo now reads "powered by Surge AI".
Why haven't I heard back from DataAnnotation?
DataAnnotation says it contacts you only if you pass and it has work that fits your skills, and it cannot reply to every applicant. On Reddit, some workers got projects in a day, and others waited months or over a year. You cannot retake the Starter Assessment, so take your time on it and write careful answers.
What is an AI trainer job?
AI trainers help companies improve AI models. You review and rate model answers, write example answers, find mistakes, or record voice and video data. Experts in law, medicine, coding, languages, and other fields teach models how a professional thinks. Most of this work is remote, flexible, and paid by the hour.
Are AI trainer jobs remote?
Yes. Every job on this site is remote, and most have flexible hours. Some jobs accept people from certain countries only, so check the 🌍 location on each job before you apply.
What skills or degrees do I need?
It depends on the job. Generalist jobs need clear writing and attention to detail. Expert jobs usually ask for a degree or work experience in the field, such as a law license or medical training. Language jobs need native or fluent skill in that language. Coding jobs need real programming experience.