Business Insider has learned that Uber told some gig workers dedicated to AI training that they were no longer needed two months before their terms were scheduled to end.
The employees are part of Project Sandbox, the name for the AI training work Uber does for Google. The project represents Uber’s early efforts to develop AI tools for other companies under its AI Solutions division.
About a dozen contractors were involved in the project, two workers told Business Insider, but it wasn’t immediately clear how many jobs were cut.
“Customers have recently communicated changes in internal priorities that directly impact the ongoing work of this program,” Uber said in an email to affected contractors on Monday.
Additionally, Uber added, “We are committed to keeping you in our network and will contact you for future opportunities that may be a good fit for your profile.”
Three employees interviewed by Business Insider for this article had advanced degrees, such as Ph.D.s, or work experience that may be related to AI training. They said they joined Project Sandbox earlier this fall after Uber told them they could expect at least three months of work.
An Uber spokesperson declined to comment.
Uber has spent years building its ride-hailing and delivery businesses, both of which posted double-digit growth rates in gross bookings in the third quarter of this year. Uber’s stock price has increased about 39% so far in 2025.
Meanwhile, the company’s AI training division appears to be in its infancy.
Last month, the company announced it would pilot a digital task program in the United States. This will allow gig workers, including those already driving and delivering for Uber, to complete tasks that train the AI.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said during an earnings call earlier this month that some jobs require a doctorate. Khosrowshahi said the performance shows Uber is expanding beyond driving and delivery into a broader “work platform.”
One Project Sandbox employee who received Monday’s email told Business Insider that the staffing agency sent him a cold email about the job earlier this fall. After the evaluation, they were allowed to join the sandbox for a minimum of three months, according to another email.
Once Uber onboarded them, each employee was put in touch with an employee at Google, Uber’s client for AI training work. Google did not respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
Workers say their work ranges from annotating photos and videos to evaluating whether AI-generated answers to prompts are accurate and complete.
Salaries varied. In one case, the base pay was $55 an hour, but rose to $110 an hour, or about $19,000 a month, if the contractor worked 40 hours a week for four consecutive weeks, according to a copy of the earnings structure obtained by Business Insider.
Contractors were sometimes ordered to work less than 40 hours a week, making it impossible for them to receive top hourly wages, the three workers said.
Uber’s latest email told employees that their assignments would end on Tuesday. They are currently awaiting instructions to return their company-issued laptop. They are still waiting for their first paycheck, but Uber has told them it could take up to seven weeks to receive their first paycheck.
The employee, who has taken other tech-related jobs, said other companies he worked for honored their contracts.
Labeling data for AI has become big business, with hundreds of thousands of people working on it around the world. As Business Insider reported in September, some people are turning to AI training as a side hustle while attending college or raising children, while others are turning it into their main source of income.
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