Outlier

Outlier is a platform operated by Scale AI that connects freelance subject matter experts with AI companies and research labs that need human feedback to improve large language models. Contributors complete tasks such as writing challenging prompts, building grading rubrics, and rating or ranking AI generated answers across domains including coding, STEM, and general knowledge and languages. This work falls under reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF), where expert judgment is used to train, test, and evaluate frontier AI models before and after release. Outlier positions itself as a way for people with specialized knowledge, from recent graduates to PhD holders, to earn supplemental income on a project basis while contributing to AI development, rather than as a traditional full-time job.

Contributors work as independent contractors rather than employees, choosing their own hours with no minimum time commitment and the ability to decline project invitations without penalty. Onboarding takes roughly 30 to 90 minutes and includes profile creation, skills import, identity verification, and a skill screening test before someone can start on paid projects. Outlier does not sponsor visas, so participants are responsible for confirming their own work authorization in their country. Payments are processed weekly, on Tuesdays, for work completed the prior week, and can be received through PayPal, Airtm, or ACH bank transfer, with rates that vary by project and expertise and are shown before work begins.