Actors to train AI in emotions

Handshake AI is looking for people with experience in acting, improvisation, theater, or sketch comedy in a job advertisement. The performers are to improvise scenes and develop spontaneous dialogues in online sessions. Among the required qualifications is the ability to recognize, express, and switch between emotions in a way that "feels authentic and human." Handshake is offering around 75 US dollars per hour for the actors.

Handshake AI does not specify what exactly the recordings are intended for. However, the job advertisement suggests that the training material produced by humans is intended to help AI systems better understand and imitate emotions and conversational situations. This could benefit AI assistants with natural language interaction, such as those offered by OpenAI or Google.

The company itself states that it is looking for "experts" to help explore the boundaries of the world's leading language models, with results contributing to the development of the next generation of AI models. Handshake AI acts as an intermediary and interface between the sought-after specialists and AI providers. According to media reports, this also includes OpenAI.

Fear of devaluing one's own profession

It is not new to use people for voice recordings in AI projects. Other AI job platforms like Mercor and Scale AI are also looking for suitable profiles. What is remarkable about the job advertisement is how explicitly it makes acting and improvisation the actual task. They are not just looking for speakers, but specifically for performers who are supposed to develop natural-looking interactions in "unscripted and open-ended scenes."

Handshake was founded in 2014 and was originally a job platform for students and young professionals. With the AI boom, Handshake has expanded this model: Under the name Handshake AI, the platform now mediates specialists to AI providers who need human feedback, training data, and tests for their models. The focus is less on general clickworkers and more on specifically well-trained experts, for example from medicine, law, natural sciences, or technology, with actors and performers as apparently the newest addition. The goal is always to close gaps in the knowledge or skills of AI models.

Like other platforms in this rapidly growing market, Handshake AI also faces accusations in some cases. For example, the company is said to have withheld payments in some cases. In contrast, at competitor Mercor, contractors reported irregular task assignments and declining remuneration. In addition, there is the fundamental concern among many involved that this work could train AI systems that could devalue their own profession in the long term.

(mki)