Skip to content
AI Training Pay
esc
  • Loading roles…

  • Pages and tools

OpenTrainPhDMaster's

ML Research Expert, Published First-Author Benchmark Author

Design realistic machine learning research tasks that test what AI models can do. Work in one or more areas such as language models, deep learning, reinforcement learning, computer vision, robotics, efficient ML systems, optimization, forecasting, causal reasoning, trustworthy…

Field
Machine learning
Where
United States, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Australia +89 more
Hours
up to 5/week
Asks for
PhD, Master's
Posted
4 days ago

Pay data for your profession: Data scientist AI trainer jobs · PhD AI trainer jobs

How this pay compares

The title points to writing prompts, problems and answers: writing questions, test tasks, rubrics or model answers for a model to learn from. What each kind of AI training work pays

At $150/hr, this role pays more than 91% of the 72 open machine learning roles with a listed pay range, above the median of $90.

Open machine learning roles that ask for a PhD have a median of $90/hr (16 roles).

Among platforms with 10 or more priced machine learning roles, Mercor has the highest median ($108/hr across 10 roles) and Alignerr the lowest ($63/hr across 13).

OpenTrain AI roles that closed since late October stayed listed a median of 31 days (122 roles). OpenTrain AI posted this one 4 days ago.

Computed from 2,746 open roles we track across Mercor, micro1, Handshake AI, Alignerr, Appen and OpenTrain AI, refreshed daily. Midpoints of listed ranges; “up to” ceilings are left out of medians.

What you would earn at this rate

Rate

$150/hr

Per week, before tax

$750

Per month, if the work is steady

$3,250

Tax
Contract pay arrives with no tax withheld. A US contractor at this rate and these hours would set aside about $822 a month for self-employment tax plus federal income tax at the 12% bracket (25%, before state tax). Outside the US, your own country's rules apply.

Assumes paid hours only; unpaid assessments, onboarding and gaps between projects lower the real figure. Full take-home calculator · Track what you actually earn

Open machine learning roles on each platform

The same kind of work, priced on every platform we track, with the best-paid open role on each.

PlatformOpenMedianBest-paid open role
Mercor10$108/hrMachine Learning Engineer Talent Network$70-250/hr
micro112$90/hrApplied Scientist$245-280/hr
OpenTrain AIthis role41$90/hrBioinformatics Machine Learning Expert$175/hr
Alignerr13$63/hrSoftware Engineer - Machine Learning$90-120/hr
Handshake AI3up to $75/hr3 pricedData ScientistUp to $120/hr

“Up to” rows list only ceilings, so their median is a maximum, not comparable with the range midpoints above them.

All 79 open machine learning roles →

The full listing

As posted on OpenTrain AI. See the original

The work

Design realistic machine learning research tasks that test what AI models can do. Work in one or more areas such as language models, deep learning, reinforcement learning, computer vision, robotics, efficient ML systems, optimization, forecasting, causal reasoning, trustworthy learning, or AI for science.

  • Write technically sound reference solutions for benchmark tasks.
  • Create grading rubrics that distinguish strong model results from incomplete or incorrect work.
  • Check that each task measures the capabilities it is intended to test, using your research judgment.

What it pays and takes

  • Pay: $150 per hour.
  • Schedule: Flexible, asynchronous contract work for 5 to 40 hours per week.
  • Location: Fully remote; open to candidates in eligible countries only, not worldwide.
  • Language: Fluency in English.
  • Education: A completed or in-progress Master's or PhD in machine learning, computer science, statistics, mathematics, or another related quantitative field.
  • Research: At least one first-author research paper in machine learning or a closely related field, plus at least one year of hands-on machine learning research experience.
  • Technical skills: Ability to write machine learning code for training, evaluation, or systems work, with depth in at least one relevant research area.
  • You must be able to explain technical decisions and judge results against meaningful standards. Multiple first-author publications or papers showing measured improvements over a baseline are helpful.

How it works

Apply on OpenTrain with your resume, then complete the application on the hiring site.

About AI training work

AI training work uses human-written examples and reviews to help build and evaluate AI systems. Researchers are paid for bringing the subject knowledge and judgment needed to create rigorous tasks and assess model results.

From applying to your first payment on OpenTrain AI

  1. 1

    Create a profile

    Create a free OpenTrain profile with your domains, languages and hourly rate.

  2. 2

    Apply

    Apply to the listing. Some listings hire through OpenTrain; others send you to the hiring platform.

  3. 3

    Funded milestones

    The client funds each milestone before work starts.

  4. 4

    First payment

    OpenTrain pays out to your connected payout method when the client approves the milestone. It doesn't publish a fixed payout schedule.

Sources: OpenTrain: AI training careers, OpenTrain docs: invoicing and payouts

Full OpenTrain AI profile: watch-outs and the public record →

Pay history

OpenTrain AI has listed this role at $150/hr since Nov 10, 2026 with no change.

Across OpenTrain AI's machine learning roles, the median listed pay was $90/hr on Nov 1, 2026 (25 roles) and is $90/hr as of Nov 11, 2026 (37 roles).

What workers report about OpenTrain AI

Anonymous reports from people who applied or worked there: whether they got work, what they were paid and how fast.

Other machine learning roles

All 79 machine learning roles →