The housecleaning is free—but it will cost you your most intimate data

In our digital age, services and devices are constantly gathering our data. Exactly how that information is harvested and used, and how transparent a company is about those practices, may not always be obvious. Shift, an AI training startup, is turning that bargain into a business model. In return for a free housecleaning, customers allow Shift to collect data filmed by a camera headset on the (human) cleaner’s head. That footage is then licensed out to develop and train AI-powered household robots. Owned by German data research lab MicroAGI, founded in 2025, Shift began by hiring contractors to don its camera caps and record their own household tasks. That type of data collection has been occurring in the U.S., as well as in Germany, Turkey, and other European countries, for months. (Shift won’t ultimately make the robots informed by this data.) [Photo: Shift] Recently Shift launched its cleaning services—offering the free cleanings as a way to get its data collectors into other people’s homes—in New York City as well as across Europe. The company has pitched its cleaning work as a side hustle for college students and the “best work from home side gig.” “We are very up front,” says Anton Poletaev, cofounder of MicroAGI and co-CEO of Shift. “Yes, we are getting your data, but by doing so you’re finally getting rewarded for it, and you’re not being lied to.” But even with that honesty, people may not understand exactly what it means to give away this data. Shift’s structure also raises questions about what this AI future means for workers who are involved in training their own replacements. The need for diverse data With the expansion of AI, tech leaders are painting a picture of a future filled with humanoid robots. Already, there are robots that can run, flip, dance, and work in warehouses. To get to a world where humanoid robots can flawlessly wash our dishes, fix our faucets, and even cook us a meal, tech companies need lots and lots