The Shift startup will send vetted third-party cleaners wearing a specialized camera cap to capture tasks like mopping, vacuuming, and washing dishes
An AI startup has launched an unusual offer: free home cleaning services in New York City, in exchange for video data of the work, which will be used to train autonomous robots.
The service is being offered by Shift.
How is it free?
The AI training startup says the venture is funded entirely by the value of the training data it collects. As Shift puts it: “You get a spotless apartment. We get training data. Everyone wins.”
During the service, vetted third-party cleaners wear specialized caps equipped with cameras to capture point-of-view footage of tasks such as mopping, vacuuming, and washing dishes.
While Shift claims dirtier environments are highly useful for training, cleaners can decline uncomfortable tasks.
To address privacy concerns, the company promises to blur and anonymize faces, names, and personal screen details before utilizing the footage.
Currently available in NYC, the company plans to expand the free service to San Francisco, London, Zurich, and Munich. Shift also wants to expand its data collection beyond cleaning to include plumbing, cooking, and building maintenance.
Shift’s model represents the latest expansion in the booming AI training sector, moving beyond white-collar tasks into physical labor.
The startup boasts that it already operates across more than 15 countries, working with thousands of people to record video data, and is actively recruiting more workers.
However, an ethical question remains. Are workers training robots to eventually replace them and render them jobless?