PETALING JAYA: After struggling to find a stable job, Sabahan Jenny Elma Oliam (pic) decided to use her “voice” to try out a new type of gig job as an artificial intelligence (AI) trainer.
Jenny currently earns a decent income by recording her voice in her native Sabahan or Manglish accent to train AI systems to learn Malaysian patterns, accents and context more accurately.
“Some of my projects include daily conversations, hobbies, travel experiences, life events and sometimes even light gossip,” said Jenny, who has been an AI trainer for six years.
The 24-year-old from Ranau is one of many Malaysians taking on freelance AI trainer roles and is an example of how technology is creating opportunities.
“I mainly do voice recording, but I also work on transcription and data annotation tasks, depending on the project,” she said.
She was introduced to this line of work by her cousin, who brought her along for a voice recording project.
Since then, more job opportunities have followed through online platforms.
“Most of my work is done from home, so it’s flexible but requires self‑discipline,” Jenny said, adding that a 20‑minute recording usually takes between 30 minutes and an hour to complete.
She said her income from AI training is project‑based rather than a fixed monthly salary.
“I collect points from the platform and withdraw once I reach a certain amount.
“For example, 50,000 points is about RM135. I usually wait until I have accumulated around 715,000 points, which comes to roughly RM1,800 over 10 days,” she said.
Similarly, Noor Fateha Mohd Salleh, 41, from Kajang, said her work includes voice recording, evaluating AI’s answers and following scripts or templates given to her.
“The goal is to improve accuracy and understanding so AI can be used more effectively in daily life.
“Although I work from home, I feel I am contributing to technology that is used globally,” she said.
Noor Fateha, who began her job as an AI trainer in 2023, said she spends between two and six hours on a job, depending on the project.
“For voice recording, I wait until the house is quiet and my child is at school.
“I am usually given scripts to read that require natural delivery or local slang, such as what is spoken in Kedah, Kelantan and Johor.
“Topics I cover can be daily actions, general phrases, instructions or even education, science and math,” she said.
Noor Fateha said she can earn up to RM2,000 a month.
Aydan Ashraf, 27, a food science graduate from Kedah, turned to AI training as a side hustle after finding the job online.
“The company gives me a script and I have to read it in either Malay or English,” he said, adding that he usually spends about two to three hours editing his work to ensure that his voice recording is clear for the AI.
Aydan said he is paid about RM70 per recording with payments made through QR code transfers.
