The company has launched the “Tasks” app, which gives couriers tasks that involve filming themselves completing everyday jobs and tasks, or recording themselves speaking in another language.
According to the original report by Bloomberg, one task, for example, requires the courier to wash a minimum of five dishes and film it with a body camera, holding each clean dish in shot for a few seconds before proceeding.
DoorDash said this data will be used to evaluate not only its in-house AI but also those used by its partners in a variety of industries.
“Tasks helps businesses get the on-the-ground insights they need quickly and at scale, while giving Dashers a new way to earn beyond delivery. Tasks are short activities Dashers can complete between deliveries or in their own time,” said DoorDash.
“Examples include helping a restaurant showcase their menu by taking real photos of their dishes, helping a hotel make sure a delivery driver can find a drop-off location by taking photos of the hotel entrance, or giving an autonomous vehicle a hand getting back on the road. Since 2024, Dashers have completed more than 2 million tasks.”
DoorDash Tasks general manager Ethan Beatty said that Tasks is all about collecting data on real-world issues.
“It’s simple: you can’t deliver to a door you can’t find or get someone milk if you don’t know what’s on the shelf. These are the kinds of real-world problems we’ve been solving for over a decade, and we realised the same capabilities that helped us could help other businesses too,” he said.
“The goal of Tasks is to help more businesses understand what’s happening on the ground and gather new insights, all while giving Dashers a new way to earn on their own terms. There are more than 8 million Dashers who can reach almost anywhere in the US and who want to earn flexibly beyond delivery. That’s a powerful capability to digitise the physical world.”
The standalone Tasks app is currently only available in the US, except in California, New York City, Seattle, and Colorado.
DoorDash’s announcement follows Uber’s announcement last year that it would be allowing its drivers to complete activities like taking photos for money, with a similar goal of training AI.
