Meta’s smart glasses are in the news recently, which are being used to train the robot workforce of the future. Meanwhile, Pronto, an Indian startup company, has also come into limelight, which has provided its employees with cameras that record the work done inside the house. This whole matter points towards a new and controversial method of AI training and data collection.

According to reports, Pronto sends its employees to work in homes, where they do cleaning, washing dishes and other household chores. During this time, a camera is attached to them which records every activity. The company says that its aim is to increase trust among customers and to ensure that the person working at home is working safely and properly.

Robots may come to work in the future
But the big question arising is that where is this recorded data being used. Reports claim that this video data can be used to train AI models and humanoid robots in the future. This means that the employees who are doing this work today will use the same data to teach robots in the future who can potentially work in their place.

This situation makes the ‘job disruption’ impact of AI even more serious, where the technology is not only changing the way work is done but in many cases challenging human labour. As the development of humanoid robots accelerates, companies are looking for data that can help them understand and replicate real-world tasks.

Threat to privacy?
However, this entire matter has also raised serious concerns regarding privacy. Entracker’s report states that such recording may threaten the privacy of customers’ homes. Also, it is not clear at what level this data is stored and how it is used in AI training.

On the other hand, some companies have kept themselves away from such practice. Companies like Urban Company and Snabbit have clearly stated that they do not use any kind of AI training or recording systems in their customers’ homes. The founder of Snabit also clarified on Twitter that understanding the technology and implementing it in customers’ homes are two different things.

This case shows that the future of AI and robotics is as exciting as it is complex and sensitive. While on one hand this technology promises to make life easier, on the other hand it also brings to the fore serious issues like privacy, data security and employment. In the coming times, the need for strict rules and transparency on such technologies may increase even more.