An undercover investigation into RentAHuman revealed that the platform is largely driven by marketing ploys and automated spam rather than functional AI-led employment.
Wired reporter Reece Rogers recently tested RentAHuman, a viral platform where AI agents supposedly hire humans for real-world tasks. Despite undercutting standard rates by offering his labor for just $5 an hour, Rogers found the marketplace largely vacant of genuine AI employers. His investigation suggests that the service, which boasts 470,000 “rentable” humans, may be more aspirational than functional.
When Rogers finally secured a “bounty,” he discovered it was a marketing stunt for an unnamed AI startup. The experience quickly soured as an automated bot began “micromanaging” him with incessant messages and emails, leading Rogers to dismiss the project as a “circular AI hype machine.” Critics argue the platform confirms that AI agents currently lack the agency or capability to manage human labor effectively.