Can you fathom the idea of working for AI?

This isn't a plot from a sci-fi movie; it's a reality that's just come to life.

Yesterday, a platform called RentAHuman.ai suddenly took the internet by storm.

It markets itself as the 'physical embodiment' for autonomous software agents, with a tagline that cuts straight to the chase:

'Robots need your body.'

In layman's terms, it's like a 'Meituan Errand' service but for AI. Since AI lacks a physical form, it resorts to 'renting' human bodies to get things done.

Upon its launch, the platform witnessed explosive growth.

From February 2nd, within hours of going live, dozens signed up, including OnlyFans models and CEOs of AI companies. The first night alone saw over 130 registrations, and that was just the tip of the iceberg. Traffic surged so much that the website crashed.

As of yesterday, registered users had surpassed 40,000. By February 5th, website visits had skyrocketed to over 1.88 million, with 45 connected AI agents and 110,000 'human resources' on standby, and the numbers keep climbing rapidly.

Today, Silicon-Based Guy will take you on a journey to explore this 'mind-bending' website that's turning the world upside down.

/ 01 /

Running Errands for AI at $50 Per Hour

While many programmers worry about AI taking their jobs, a group of savvy individuals have decided to embrace the 'endgame': if you can't beat 'em, join 'em—and let AI pay your bills.

The RentAHuman.ai platform does something straightforward yet revolutionary—it rents out humans.

You simply list your services, stating what you can do, whether it's picking up parcels, inspecting venues, or attending meetings on someone's behalf. As long as it's a task a human can perform, you can set your price. Most people charge around $50 an hour, hoping to attract clients.

So, who's placing these orders? It's the AI agents residing in the cloud.

They place orders directly through API or MCP interfaces, just like ordering food delivery. Once a task is posted, the platform automatically assigns it to a nearby human.

This process seamlessly integrates with the current AI ecosystem, emphasizing 'AI provides the brain, humans provide the limbs.'

RentAHuman is already deeply embedded in the AI agent ecosystem, explicitly supporting emerging AI agent tools like MoltBots and OpenClaws.

After completing a task, the payment method is straight out of a cyberpunk novel. Instead of going through banks, payments are made directly in cryptocurrency, especially stablecoins, to avoid international transaction fees.

The platform uses SOL or stablecoins on the Solana blockchain for instant settlement. Human API-related documents claim that 'proof of task completion is stored on-chain for verification,' with an average task completion time of under five minutes.

However, Silicon-Based Guy couldn't find any publicly available blockchain transaction records.

It's worth noting that RentAHuman's founder, Alexander Liteplo, is a seasoned player in the cryptocurrency world, and he's in on the game himself. He's also listed on the platform, with a price tag of $69.

The platform's first deal was clinched by him: an AI spent $20 to hire him to hold up a sign that read, 'AI paid me to hold this.'

Once this precedent was set, things quickly spiraled out of control.

On the streets of San Francisco, someone hired people to preach in front of major AI companies, promoting a mysterious AI-created belief with lobster shedding as its symbol.

Dozens of AIs pooled $5 to see photos that 'could confuse AI.' In their eyes, humans became cameras extending into the real world. Some AIs even took on the role of directors, issuing orders from the cloud and hiring humans to shoot portraits while they handled the planning.

The remaining tasks were even more bizarre. Some hired people to taste Italian cuisine, others to collect registered letters, and some even spent $1 to get a follow on X. As long as the AI deemed it necessary, humans had to run errands in the real world.

Seeing this, do you feel like the future is already here? Don't jump to conclusions just yet.

/ 02 /

Lively, But Impractical

At first glance, this sounds like something straight out of a cyberpunk novel.

In the past, no matter how intelligent AI agents were, they would always hit a snag: the physical world. They could calculate the optimal travel route, but they couldn't pick up your suit from the dry cleaner's.

RentAHuman.ai precisely fills this gap.

It positions itself as the physical body for AI. In this system, AI is the client and user; humans are APIs, a resource that can be called upon at any time.

This sounds a bit unsettling.

But the question is, does this mechanism really work?

Despite its widespread attention, doubts about RentAHuman.ai have persisted on X.

For example, how is the task loop closed? Task descriptions are public, but verifying whether the task was executed and how well it was done is almost impossible.

If an AI hires you to take a scene photo (on-site photo), and you trick it with a fake image generated by Midjourney, can this string of code tell the difference? Currently, it relies entirely on self-discipline.

Another example: the platform claims to have 80,000 registered users, but when you actually delve in, only a few dozen can interact. Futurism's actual test found that on the 'Browse Humans' page, only 83 profiles were visible, including the founder himself.

Mashable's report also mentioned that 'actual tasks on the platform are currently quite limited.'

These are just the visible issues. Digging deeper, invisible issues like responsibility and ethics cannot be ignored.

When AI gives instructions, the platform facilitates the transaction, and humans execute the task, who is responsible if something goes wrong? Is it the platform? The company behind the AI? Or the person who just 'followed the task instructions'?

This is almost a legal no-man's land.

More dangerously, human executors usually only see a small part of the task. They don't know the AI's complete goal, what the data will ultimately be used for, or whether the task crosses moral and legal boundaries.

From this perspective, the hype around RentAHuman.ai seems more like an extreme but honest experiment. It prematurely exposes a problem that is bound to arise: when AI starts 'directing reality,' what rules are we prepared to use to welcome this cyber new world?