Handshake AI is one of a handful of companies of its kind, scrambling to provide more and more niche or specific training data to AI labs in order to feed the models. AI models are often described as \u201cjagged,\u201d meaning they\u2019re typically great at some surprisingly complex tasks but fail deeply at some simple ones. AI companies are trying to fix the gaps in their models\u2019 knowledge with specialized data labeling, and companies like Handshake, Mercor, and Scale AI have adjusted accordingly, hiring professionals in a wide range of industries.<\/p>\n
Handshake\u2019s demand for training data tripled last summer, as The Verge reported in December<\/a>, and the company surpassed a $150 million run rate in November, scrambling to keep up with demand. Handshake and its competitors have touted their networks of tens of thousands (or more) professionals in white-collar industries, from chemists and doctors to lawyers and screenwriters. Many of these professionals worry they\u2019re training AI models in a way that will make their careers obsolete<\/a> even quicker than may have happened otherwise.<\/p>\n And now the leading AI labs have come for sketch comics, improv actors, and more.<\/p>\n \u201cHandshake AI is inviting actors, improvisers, and performers to join a paid, collaborative improv project to work with one of the leading AI companies,\u201d the job description says, promising participants will be \u201cmatched with other performers over video and given a light prompt or scenario to explore together.\u201d<\/p>\n The job listing calls for people with a background in acting, improv, sketch, or theater work of any kind, and it takes pains to imply \u2014 multiple times \u2014 that it\u2019s looking for people who can essentially \u201ctest the limits of the world\u2019s top LLMs\u2019 understanding\u201d by teaching the models how to recognize or replicate human tone and emotions. \u201cEmotional awareness\u201d is one of the requirements, for instance, specifically the \u201cability to recognize, express, and shift between emotions in a way that feels authentic and human.\u201d The job listing also called for \u201cinteractions that feel grounded, human, and fun to play.\u201d<\/p>\n Handshake declined to comment, and the listing does not specify what the training data will be used for.<\/p>\n In recent years, AI companies have leaned fully into \u201cmultimodal\u201d models that can not only generate images and video, but also speak with users via voice interactions, complete with realistic inflections. After OpenAI first tested out ChatGPT\u2019s voice mode, the company leaned further into the feature in 2024, when it debuted an Advanced version with a suite of different voices to choose from. Elon Musk\u2019s xAI offers voice chat within Grok. And Anthropic\u2019s Claude has offered a voice feature, at least in beta, since last May<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Handshake job listing goes on to say that sessions are \u201cunscripted and open-ended,\u201d adding that participants will \u201cimprovise scenes, explore characters, and respond naturally in the moment, with plenty of creative freedom to shape how each interaction unfolds.\u201d The role also promises part-time, flexible tasks that are \u201ceasy to fit alongside auditions, classes, or rehearsals,\u201d with an average pay of $74 per hour. But as The Verge recently reported<\/a>, these projects\u2019 starting pay often dwindles quickly once a participant signs up, and the flexible nature of the schedule doesn\u2019t seem so flexible when workers are competing for a limited number of new tasks that can become available, or go away, at any moment.<\/p>\n Members of the r\/improv community on Reddit have<\/a> discussed<\/a> the<\/a> Handshake AI job listing at length, with some calling it \u201cdystopian.\u201d One user wrote, \u201cIt\u2019s clearly just an attempt to get people to train AI models to create AI generated videos.\u201d A second wrote, \u201cI think they are trying to teach it human conversation not how to be an improviser. My plan was to sabotage the inputs.\u201d Another joked, \u201cNow AI is coming for our lucrative improv comedy jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n Another user wrote, \u201cI predict a resurgence of live comedy from people being sick of online services and wanting some rough around the edges, real, face-to-face entertainment. I think that could be a great marketing angle for improv teams: come see real, unpolished, laugh out loud comedy, NOT made by a computer.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Hayden FieldClose Hayden Field<\/p>\n Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All by Hayden Field<\/a><\/p>\n AIClose<\/p>\n AI<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n![\"Hayden](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/HAYDEN_BLURPLE.jpg\"\/)
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