If you have been anywhere near a job site board in the last couple of years, you are bound to have come across adverts which proclaim “your new remote job” or something similar. The adverts are for a company called Data Annotation Tech who claim you can make money training AI bots. And. if you look online you will see lots of glowing reviews of this company, which got me slightly suspicious as most companies will have both good – and bad reviews. You can’t please all of the people all of the time.
Who Are Dara Annotation Tech?
Data Annotation Tech are a New York based company who hire remote workers from all of the world. The work on offer is training AI bots by undertaking studies and completing project. The pay is around $20 per hour but you will be a freelance, remote worker and of course work loads will vary. Unfortunately, there is no real job security as you can be terminated at any time.
My own BAD experrience with Data Annotation Tech
Firstly I have to point out that this is my own personal experience. All of the reviews of Dara Annotation online seem to be quite positive, although there are accounts of people being suddenly terminated. Some of these have questioned whether they were terminated for earning too much.
To be accepted by Data Annotation you have to fill out the registration form and then pass a test. This test can take around an hour and is far from simple. It involves checking and rechecking information, deciding which AI reponse is better and so on.
Now I have a Honours Degree in English, and I like to think that I am quite educated and intelligent. But the test is far from simple. I assume that they grade the test via AI but there is much in there that is not simple black and white but subjective.
One of the questions asks to say which AI response is better. Both have errors in them, one more than the other but even so it is difficult to subjectively decide which one is superior without knowing the context and the details of the prompt. I’m guessing that if you don’t choose the same reponse as the computer then you automatically fail.
Absolutely Zero Response
However, what really pisses off most about Data Annotation is that once you have filled in the test and all your personal information you wait. And wait. And they never respond.
No email to say “Sorry you don’t fit what we are looking for” or “Thank you for your time”. The dashboard just shows a permanent message “If we are in need of your individual skills” yada yada and that’s it. You are now in permanent Data Annotation limbo. It’s just rude, and unecessary. Meanwhile they have all your personal information.
Maybe I failed the test. Maybe it’s because I’m in the UK and they have no work for us here. I really don’t know. Even those who have reached out to Data Annotation don’t usually get a reply.
So Is Data Annotation Tech a Scam?
I don’t know. I’m obviously not worthy enough to work for them! Maybe some people make great money. Others like me hear nothing. As a sneaky aside I got a friend to sign up and test the process. Yes, you’ve guessed it, they didn’t hear back either.
However they are spending some serious money on advertising, all over the UK job boards and even on government sites. It’s impossible to scroll down Reddit without encountering one of their video ads. And it’s not fair.
Hundreds of people who are desperate for work are applying to them daily in the UK. They don’t even have the courtesy to reply to them. And that is what makes me suspicious. After several weeks of not hearing anythng at all, I deleted my DA account in the dashboard. They are not having my info for free.
So, if you are lucky enoough to get work through Data Annotation that’s great. But please make contingency plans and don’t think it will be a permanent gig. You could suddenly be locked out of your dashboard at any time.
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