Following Meta's acquisition of a 49% stake in Scale AI, Uber is reportedly making a push to promote its AI data labeling services to potential clients. This move comes as some companies, including OpenAI and Google, have reportedly expressed uncertainty about their partnerships with Scale AI after the Meta deal.
Uber launched its data-labeling platform, now known as Uber AI Solutions, in November 2024. The platform focuses on training AI models for enterprise clients. Megha Yethadka, General Manager of Uber AI Solutions, stated that Uber's core strength lies in being a platform of choice for flexible on-demand work, which extends well to digital tasks like data labeling. Uber is now expanding the service and offering ready-to-use datasets, including audio, video, images, and text, to customers training their AI models. Additionally, the company will license its internal platforms for managing data labeling projects and accessing its network of contracted clickworkers. Beyond just training models, Uber is now also offering clients tools to develop AI agents, which can take specific actions for users, like helping with customer support.
Data labeling involves assigning tags or annotations to raw datasets like images, text, or audio to make them understandable for AI and machine learning models. This process is crucial for training AI algorithms, and the data labeling market is projected to exceed $17 billion by 2030.
Uber aims to differentiate itself by automating more of the clickwork project setup process. The company is developing a software interface that allows clients to describe their data needs in plain language, while the platform handles task assignments, workflow setup, and quality control automatically. The goal is to expedite the handover of projects to human clickworkers, reducing the need for manual onboarding.
Uber AI Solutions is now available in over 30 countries, expanding from its initial launch in the U.S., Canada, and India. Since the beginning of 2025, Uber has doubled the number of clickworkers on its platform.
Uber's entry into the AI data labeling market positions it against established players like Scale AI and challenges traditional Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) providers. By leveraging its expertise in managing gig economy workers, Uber aims to establish a strong presence in the growing AI services sector.
The company's strategic advantages include revenue diversification, utilizing expertise in gig economy management, and expanding into the high-growth AI data labeling market. This move allows Uber to tap into the increasing demand for high-quality data annotation in the AI industry, potentially transforming the company into a major player in AI services.
The rebranding from "Scaled Solutions" to "Uber AI Solutions" reflects the company's desire to emphasize its focus on AI. Uber aims to automate the process of setting up clickwork projects, providing a software interface where clients can describe their data needs in plain language, and the platform automatically manages task assignments, workflows, and quality control.
Uber's expansion into AI data labeling demonstrates its adaptability and ambition to become a key player in the AI services industry. As the demand for data annotation continues to rise, Uber's AI Solutions is well-positioned to play a significant role in shaping the future of AI development.
