Get Paid $30/Day to Record Calls for AI: Is It Worth It?
▼ Summary
– The Neon app pays users to share recordings of their phone calls, which are then sold to AI companies for training their chatbots.
– Users can earn up to $30 per day, with payment rates of 30 cents per minute for calls between Neon users and 15 cents per minute for calls to non-users.
– Only calls made or received through the Neon app are recorded, and the company promises to anonymize the data by removing personally identifiable information.
– The app is currently very popular and ranks high among free apps, indicating many people are willing to participate despite privacy concerns.
– The article questions whether the financial incentive is worth the potential privacy trade-off of having AI companies vacuum up personal conversations.
The prospect of earning money simply by talking on the phone is understandably appealing. A new application called Neon – Money Talks is generating significant buzz by offering users the chance to get paid for sharing their phone conversations. The premise is straightforward: the app records your calls and sells the anonymized audio to artificial intelligence companies, which use the data to train their language models. In exchange, you receive compensation, with the potential to earn up to $30 per day.
This service is available for free on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. It’s important to understand that only calls placed or received directly through the Neon app are subject to recording. Your standard cellular calls remain private and are not captured by the system. The payment structure is tiered; you earn 30 cents per minute when speaking with another Neon user, as both sides of the conversation are recorded. If you call someone who doesn’t use the app, you earn 15 cents per minute, with only your side of the dialogue being shared.
To participate, users must verify their phone number and agree to the terms of service. The company emphasizes that it has implemented measures to protect user privacy. According to Neon, all call recordings are encrypted and undergo an anonymization process that strips out personally identifiable information like names, phone numbers, and addresses before being sold to what they describe as vetted AI partners. There are also specific rules to ensure call quality; the conversations must be genuine, two-way interactions, prohibiting silent calls or playing pre-recorded audio.
Cashing out is designed to be simple. You can redeem your earnings once you accumulate just ten cents, with payments typically processed within three business days. Additionally, the app offers a $30 referral bonus for every new user you bring onboard. Despite the privacy assurances, the core question remains: is the financial incentive worth the potential risk? While the data is anonymized, the fundamental act involves a company recording, processing, and selling audio of your personal discussions. For some, the idea of an AI “vacuuming up” even sanitized versions of their private calls is a step too far, regardless of the payout. The decision ultimately hinges on an individual’s comfort level with trading a slice of their digital privacy for monetary gain.
(Source: ZDNET)
