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
Investment BankerInvestment BankingM&ATransaction AdvisoryDCF ValuationComparable Company AnalysisPrecedent Transactions+5$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
IP AttorneyIntellectual Property LawPatent ProsecutionTrademark AnalysisClaim ConstructionPrior Art AnalysisIP Litigation+6$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Legal ExpertLegal ResearchLegal WritingContract LawStatutory AnalysisLegal ProcedureCase Analysis+4$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Litigation AttorneyLitigationLegal ResearchLegal WritingMotion PracticeDiscoveryLegal Procedure+5$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Machine Learning EngineerPythonPyTorchJAXMachine LearningModel TrainingModel Evaluation+4$40–150/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Managed Care AnalystManaged CareUtilization ReviewPayer OperationsBenefit DesignPrior AuthorizationPayer Contracts+5$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Medical CoderICD-10-CMCPTHCPCSMedical CodingNCCI EditsE&M Leveling+4$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Health/Medical ExpertClinical ReasoningDiagnosisTreatment PlanningPatient SafetyClinical Writing+3$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
NurseNursingPatient AssessmentTriageMedication SafetyMedication AdministrationPatient Education+5$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
ParalegalLegal ResearchCitation CheckingDocument ReviewCourt ProcedureFiling PreparationLegal Writing+5$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
PhysicianClinical ReasoningDifferential DiagnosisTreatment PlanningPatient CommunicationEvidence-Based MedicineStandards of Care+5$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Portfolio ManagerPortfolio ConstructionSecurity AnalysisRisk AnalysisValuationPosition SizingCorrelation Analysis+6$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Private Equity AssociateLBO ModelingPrivate EquityDue DiligenceDebt ModelingIRR AnalysisValuation+5$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Public AccountantPublic AccountingAuditAssuranceGAAPGAASAudit Sampling+6$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Quantitative AnalystQuantitative FinanceProbabilityStatisticsStochastic MethodsStatistical ModelingPortfolio Construction+7$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Registered NurseNursingPatient AssessmentTriageMedication AdministrationMedication SafetyPatient Education+5$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Revenue Cycle SpecialistRevenue Cycle ManagementClaims ProcessingDenial ManagementPrior AuthorizationRemittance CodesPayer Rules+5$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Software EngineerPythonC++RustGoJavaScriptCode Review+4$40–150/hr
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Tax AccountantTax AccountingASC 740Corporate TaxIndividual TaxTax ComplianceEntity Structuring+5$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
TraderTradingMarket MakingMarket MicrostructureTrade ExecutionRisk ManagementHedging+5$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Treasury AnalystTreasuryCash ForecastingLiquidity ManagementWorking CapitalFX HedgingInterest-Rate Hedging+6$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Venture CapitalistVenture CapitalStartup Due DiligenceMarket SizingUnit EconomicsCohort AnalysisInvestment Analysis+6$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Wealth ManagerWealth ManagementFinancial PlanningAsset AllocationRetirement PlanningEstate PlanningTax Planning+6$40–125/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Catalan SpecialistCatalanTranslationLocalizationLinguisticsCultural Nuance+3$25–40/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Czech SpecialistCzechTranslationLocalizationLinguisticsCultural Nuance+3$25–40/hr
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Danish SpecialistDanishTranslationLocalizationLinguisticsCultural Nuance+3$25–40/hr
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Finnish SpecialistFinnishTranslationLocalizationCultural NuanceWritten English+3$25–40/hr
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Gujarati SpecialistGujaratiTranslationLocalizationCultural NuanceWritten English+3$25–40/hr
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Kannada SpecialistKannadaTranslationLocalizationCultural NuanceWritten English+3$25–40/hr
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Malayalam SpecialistMalayalamTranslationLocalizationCultural NuanceWritten English+3$25–40/hr
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Marathi SpecialistMarathiTranslationLocalizationCultural NuanceWritten English+3$25–40/hr
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Norwegian SpecialistNorwegianTranslationLocalizationCultural NuanceWritten English+3$25–40/hr
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Odia SpecialistOdiaTranslationLocalizationCultural NuanceWritten English+3$25–40/hr
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Punjabi SpecialistPunjabiTranslationLocalizationCultural NuanceWritten English+3$25–40/hr
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Romanian SpecialistRomanianTranslationLocalizationCultural NuanceWritten English+3$25–40/hr
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Swedish SpecialistSwedishTranslationLocalizationCultural NuanceWritten English+3$25–40/hr
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Telugu SpecialistTeluguTranslationLocalizationCultural NuanceEnglish Writing+3$25–40/hr
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Urdu SpecialistUrduTranslationLocalizationCultural NuanceEnglish Writing+3$25–40/hr
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Spanish SpecialistSpanishEnglishTranslationLocalizationProfessional Writing+3$25–40/hr
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Tagalog SpecialistTagalogEnglishTranslationCode-SwitchingTagalog Politeness Markers+3$25–40/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Tamil SpecialistTamilEnglishTranslationSpoken TamilLiterary TamilTamil Honorifics+3$25–40/hr
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Thai SpecialistThaiEnglishTranslationThai Politeness ParticlesThai Language Registers+2$25–40/hr
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Turkish SpecialistTurkishEnglishTranslationLocalizationProfessional Writing+3$25–40/hr
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Ukrainian SpecialistUkrainianEnglishTranslationUkrainian GrammarVerb AspectUkrainian Forms of Address+4$25–40/hr
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Vietnamese SpecialistVietnameseEnglishTranslationVietnamese PronounsVietnamese DiacriticsRegional Vietnamese Usage+4$25–40/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Arabic SpecialistArabicTranslationLocalizationProfessional WritingEnglish WritingCultural Nuance+4$25–40/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Bengali SpecialistBengaliTranslationForms of AddressRegional Language VariationEnglish Writing+3$25–40/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Chinese SpecialistMandarin ChineseSimplified ChineseTraditional ChineseTranslationChinese IdiomsLanguage Register+6$25–40/hr
🌍 Worldwide
Dutch SpecialistDutchTranslationDutch GrammarLanguage RegisterFlemish UsageEnglish Writing+4$25–40/hr
🌍 Worldwide
French SpecialistFrenchTranslationFrench GrammarLanguage RegisterRegional Language VariationEnglish Writing+4$25–40/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.