India, Oct. 30 -- A San Francisco startup offered people $20 an hour to walk robot dogs through city streets, not for exercise but to help train artificial intelligence (AI) systems to navigate real-world environments.

(Also read: 'Science meets reality': Indie dog interacts with robot dog, netizens share mixed reactions)

According to a report by The New York Times, robotics startup Dimensional advertised for people to operate four-legged robots on outdoor routes lasting four to six hours. The unusual job required no previous robotics experience and included paid training.

The advertisement, posted in the Facebook group 'Bay Area Jobs' on October 5, has since been deleted.

As reported by Fox Business, selected workers were expected to...