ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Cleaners with built-in cameras attached to their caps are helping to train the next generation of cleaning robots.

AI company Micro AGI is offering free cleaning services to residents of New York City in exchange for data. The cleaners' cap cameras are connected via a lead to their mobile phones, allowing the company to gather valuable information for robotic companies.

The Shift initiative is part of a growing trend by companies keen to develop the next generation of autonomous robots. Tech bosses hope the machines will be able to carry out a range of tasks from washing up to serving as live-in personal carers.

Shift's founder Bercan Kilic claims robots need to be trained to adapt to different spaces and use a range of items. "Every kitchen, living room and tool is slightly different which means robots need to be able to collect tons of data," he said. "Models need to learn how their hands, cameras and environments work together."

However, the move to offer free cleaning services in exchange for data has been labelled a "diabolically creative way to sell privacy invasion" by director of the AI and human rights programme at the Electronic Privacy Information Centre Calli Schroeder. And she adds that the initiative could one day leave cleaners out of work.

"I think people wildly underestimate the level of sensitive information that in-home recordings would pick up," she said. "The benefit of free apartment cleaning is a pittance compared to the potential profit that could be made compiling and selling valuable datasets."