Ty McDuffey Experience Training AI Models for Top Labs in the Country Using Legal, Writing, and Editing Knowledge

Is training AI models part of the new gig economy? There is an entire class of people in America right now known as the “precariat.” These are the highly-educated people with bachelors or masters degrees, often highly indebted, white-collar working Americans who are perpetually underemployed or working in the gig economy and at serious economic risk as AI advances and knowledge work is automated. I’m sharing one of the success stories I’ve had recently after spending the last five years in law, journalism, & content creation, all industries that have been profoundly affected by the first wave of AI.

After four rounds of interviews last week, I landed a contract with one of the top AI labs in the country to train one of their large language reasoning models. The interviews looked like this: I entered a private meeting through a third party where my webcam recorded my video and audio. A small, purple orb asked me questions about my background. There was no lag between my responses and the AI’s. I actually preferred it to interviewing with a human. It was just a 20 minute conversation. I didn’t have to worry about what shirt I was wearing or whether I was making awkward facial expressions. I didn’t have to worry about taking too long to answer a question. I felt like I could share more about my expertise and steer the conversation in the way I had prepared for.

To me, it feels like the economy is going down two paths - AI/automation, and the real, brick and mortar world. The remote economy is expected to pass the physical economy in size by 2055, potentially accounting for 50-70% of global GDP.

However, Internet-based businesses now face heightened competition. Remote businesses can now open for a few hundred dollars. Online products and services can be a race to the bottom where anyone around the globe with access to a laptop can play.

It’s very important to think about who you’re going to align yourself with going forward. What companies are still going to be around in 10 years?