Dishes piling up? Trash overflowing? Dust accumulating on surfaces? For residents of New York City, a unique opportunity has emerged: a company willing to tackle those household cleaning tasks for free. However, there is a twist – the entire cleaning process will be recorded to aid in training artificial intelligence. This initiative, spearheaded by the German startup MicroAGI, invites willing participants to sign up on the task-recording platform known as Shift.
On Shift’s platform, users can explore a visually engaging 3D tag cloud of available chores, ranging from the staples of cleaning like vacuuming, dusting, and dishwashing, to more extensive organizational tasks such as reconfiguring a fridge, pantry, or closet. The proposal gained traction following a recent post on X, which included an introductory video. The video features a spirited young cleaner arriving at an apartment, with Harry Kilberg, the company’s US General Manager, expressing the company’s enthusiasm for servicing the five boroughs by stating, “the future has always started in New York. This time, it will start in your apartment.” This is accompanied by a nod to New York’s iconic imagery, evoking a sense of local pride, as the instrumental of “Empire State of Mind” underscores the visuals.
To ease potential concerns, Shift provides a comprehensive FAQ section on its website, promising that all facial recognition and sensitive data will be anonymized. They assert that any identifiable information captured during cleaning sessions will be blurred to protect the privacy of participants. However, a notable omission in this reassurance is the protocol for participants wishing to have their recorded videos removed from the dataset post-session.
Shift claims to have already compensated tens of thousands of individuals globally for recording their manual labor, emphasizing that no home is too messy for this free service. However, participants should be aware that cleaners can opt out of tasks they are uncomfortable performing. According to Shift’s terms of service, the firm holds no responsibility for incidents of theft, injury, or property damage that may occur during the cleaning service, though they assure potential clients that the “independent cleaning professionals” have been vetted by their partners.
The company envisions the collected data to be instrumental in developing the next generation of household robots, hinting at a technological future that may offer broader access to automated cleaning solutions.
Bercan Kilic, founder and CEO of MicroAGI, announced on LinkedIn that Shift plans to expand soon to cities such as London, Munich, and Zurich, generating anticipation for future promotional content reflecting those locales. However, New Yorkers interested in this limited-time offer are urged to act quickly. Just be aware, while the cleaning service may address typical household clutter, it won’t address any lingering odors that might be more enigmatic in nature.
