Bengaluru’s home help service startup Pronto is now embroiled in a privacy controversy. The company has been accused of recording videos while cleaning inside customers’ homes. According to the report, these videos were being used to train physical AI and robotics systems. As soon as the matter came to light, the debate on social media intensified and people expressed concern about the privacy of the house. The company acknowledged that it was running such a pilot on a limited scale, but claimed that customer consent was required.
Case revealed by investors’ report
The matter came to light when Entrackr, a platform that tracks the internet economy, released a report based on investors’ documents. The report claimed that Pronto is collecting real world data through its domestic workers to train physical AI and robotics models. Citing an internal memo from the company’s investor Glade Brook Capital, it was said that along with organizing India’s informal labor market, Pronto is also preparing the data necessary for AI training. The report also said that the company is already running pilot projects with some physical AI labs and is rapidly moving towards commercializing this strategy.
What explanation did Pronto give?
As the controversy escalated, Pronto admitted that it was running a limited pilot on AI-related data initiatives. The company says that recording was based solely on customer permission and this feature was not turned on by default for anyone. According to Pronto, the working professional had a small camera which recorded only in the direction of work. The company also claimed that the recorded footage was later sent to customers. Pronto said that to train physical AI systems, data from activities performed by people in real environments such as washing dishes, folding clothes and cleaning is necessary. The company claims that this data will form the basis for future AI machines and robots.
Why did anger increase among people?
After the news came out, people expressed their displeasure on social media. Many people say that home is the most private place and recording there is like breaking trust. Generally, apps collect data of users through clicks and online activities, but here the matter of video recording directly inside the house has come to light. This is the reason why people’s concern increased even more. However, Pronto has clearly stated that its pilot was very limited and there are no plans to take it to more customers in future. Meanwhile, Snabit founder Ayush Aggarwal also issued a statement on social media saying that his company has never recorded in customers’ homes nor does it intend to do so in the future.
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