A tech startup called Shift, operated by MicroAGI, is offering free home cleaning services in New York City. The catch? Customers must allow the cleaning session to be recorded to train robots.
The Shift app's website states there is essentially no catch, but the fine print reveals that booking requires payment information. Clients may be charged if they cancel with less than 24 hours' notice or are unavailable when cleaners arrive. The terms of service also absolve the platform of any liability for property damage, theft, or personal injury.
The company's privacy policy explicitly states that the core of MicroAGI's business is collecting data for robotics training. This free cleaning offer is a promotion to recruit people for the Shift app's main purpose: wearing a recording headstrap to capture videos of everyday tasks in exchange for $20 per hour plus bonuses.
General Manager Harry Kilberg claims the platform already pays tens of thousands of people across 15 countries. The main website reports over 10,000 operators have been paid over $5 million in the first quarter of the 2026 fiscal year.
MicroAGI joins a growing list of startups, including Encord and Micro1, that pay ordinary people to record daily activities for robot training data. Micro1 has reportedly hired thousands of contract workers across 50 countries.
The Shift app is aggressively recruiting in NYC, targeting university students, teachers, restaurant workers, and delivery workers. The company has also posted on Craigslist in cities like Boston, and CEO Bercan Kilic has hinted at launching in London, Munich, and Zurich.