Delhi-Born CEO Makes Rs 18,000 An Hour From AI Side Gig, Says Curiosity Matters More Than Money

Artificial intelligence is opening up new kinds of wor, and one entrepreneur is quietly making the most of it. A 34-year-old business leader with Delhi roots is training AI models for global companies and the work pays nearly Rs 18,000 per hour. What makes the story stand out is that the assignment is not his main job nor was it taken up for extra income. Instead, he says the opportunity appealed to his interest in how AI thinks, learns and improves with human guidance. According to a report bt CNBC, Utkarsh Amitabh earns close to $200 an hour, or around Rs 18,000, by spending a few hours every night training AI models. Based in the UK, Amitabh started this work in January 2025 with micro1, a startup that helps train artificial intelligence systems

for large global companies.Amitabh already has a packed schedule. He is the CEO of Network Capital, teaches at universities, has written books and is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Oxford. He is also a new father. Still, he manages to spend about three to four hours every night on his AI training work, usually after his daughter goes to sleep.He says the flexibility of the role is what makes it manageable. Since the work can be done remotely and on his own schedule, it does not feel like an extra burden.As per the report, Amitabh’s academic and work background helped him ease into the role. He studied mechanical engineering as an undergraduate and later completed a master’s degree in moral philosophy. He also spent over six years at Microsoft, where he worked on cloud computing and AI-related partnerships.Over the years, he has written about side hustles and studied how AI affects human decision-making. So when the opportunity to directly work on training AI models came up, it felt like a natural next step.His job mainly involves reviewing and improving how AI systems respond to complex business questions. This means breaking down real-world problems, checking whether the AI’s answers make sense, and correcting mistakes. According to Amitabh, this work requires a lot of attention to detail, as even small errors can affect how the model learns.micro1, which was founded in 2022, works with major AI labs and large global companies. The startup depends on experts like Amitabh to ensure AI systems deliver accurate and reliable results.While many worry that AI could replace jobs, Amitabh believes the reality is more balanced. He feels AI will change how people work, but it will also create new roles where human judgement and expertise are still important.