An Indian-origin entrepreneur based in the United Kingdom has revealed that he earns $200 (around ₹18,000) an hour working part-time on training artificial intelligence models, even as he continues to juggle multiple professional roles.
Speaking to CNBC Make It, Utkarsh Amitabh said that he was not actively looking for new work when data-labelling startup micro1 approached him in January 2025. At the time, he was already balancing life as an author, university lecturer, founder and CEO of global mentorship platform Network Capital, and a PhD student at the University of Oxford Saïd Business School. He also had a newborn at home.
Despite the packed schedule, Amitabh said that he agreed to join micro1’s network of experts, driven largely by “intellectual curiosity”. According to him, the opportunity felt aligned well with his background in business strategy, financial modelling and technology.
The 34-year-old shared that he holds an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in moral philosophy, and previously spent over 6 years at Microsoft working on cloud computing and AI partnerships. His earlier work includes a book on the side-hustle economy and academic research on how artificial intelligence could reshape human achievement, the outlet reported.
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A ‘natural’ fit
{{/usCountry}}(Also Read: Indian entrepreneur shares ‘life update’ after 2 years of leaving the US: ‘Super happy because...')
A ‘natural’ fit
{{/usCountry}}The opportunity with micro1 seemed like a “natural” fit, Amitabh said. He also appreciated the flexibility of the part-time, freelance role as he works, on average, roughly 3.5 hours each night. “This didn’t seem like an add-on, but something that I could use to further my interests in a limited number of hours a week,” he said.
According to CNBC, Amitabh now earns $200 per hour for his work training AI models for micro1 and has made close to $300,000 since January, including project completion bonuses.
He said that money was not the primary motivation. He considers “fair pay to be a core value," he said, adding that he found the compensation to be “respectable” for work that requires significant expertise.
AI and jobs
Further, Amitabh acknowledged that training AI raises broader concerns about job displacement but takes a balanced view. Citing projections from the World Economic Forum, he noted that while AI may eliminate certain roles, it is also expected to create millions of new jobs globally by 2030. Ultimately, Amitabh said that he believes human expertise and machine intelligence will continue to evolve together through collaboration rather than competition.
“It’s also possible that this AI fear collectively empowers us to learn better, upskill ourselves and frame questions differently about ourselves. So I’m not concerned about the [idea of] AI Doom entirely, because I think it does far more good than bad,” he said.