Free plumber if you let them film: HUMXN pays for your repairs to train its robots

Plumbing, electrics, heating and air conditioning, duct or carpet cleaning: HUMXN says it will cover these jobs. In return, residents must let in a person wearing a “portable capture device” to film the work.

According to its founder, Thomas Unise, the next generation of AI can no longer rely on the text and images of the internet alone: robots must understand how professionals act on the physical world.

According to the company, the videos are meant to teach AI models the whole course of a job: inspecting the premises, testing the installation, choosing the right tool, coping with the unexpected and judging whether the work has been done well.

The programme starts in Minneapolis, Chicago and Miami. HUMXN says it chose these cities to collect data in different climates.

The lab says technicians are still paid as normal, while homeowners pay nothing for the jobs concerned.