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Bengaluru startup Pronto, under fire for recording videos inside customers’ homes to train AI, clarifies

Pronto, a Bengaluru-based startup providing home services, has responded to criticism over company professionals recording videos inside customers’ homes

Updated on: May 24, 2026, 13:36:54 IST
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Pronto, a Bengaluru-based startup providing 10-minute home services, has responded to criticism over company professionals recording videos inside customers’ homes to train AI. Concerns about privacy were first raised on the social media platform X, where a journalist claimed that Pronto staffers were using “small outward-facing cameras during select opt-in jobs” as part of its investor’s Physical AI vision.

FILE PHOTO: Laxmi, an employee with Pronto cleans a house with a broom in New Delhi, India, March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Bhawika Chhabra/File Photo (REUTERS)
FILE PHOTO: Laxmi, an employee with Pronto cleans a house with a broom in New Delhi, India, March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Bhawika Chhabra/File Photo (REUTERS)

“Important: How Pronto is turning Indian homes into training grounds for its investors’ Physical AI vision. Did you know? Pronto professionals use small outward-facing cameras during select opt-in jobs, and customers receive the footage afterward,” journalist Harsh Upadhyay wrote.

The post got over 2 lakh views and sparked a conversation on AI and privacy concerns.

Pronto’s clarification

Pronto also said that if customers choose to opt out of the AI training programme, the professional does not bring a camera to their home. It further said that the practice is fully compliant with India's Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, and the company’s competitors are also recording inside customers’ homes.

(Also read: ₹1 lakh a month, viral video claims">Bengaluru vegetable vendor wearing AI data-collection headgear earns 1 lakh a month, viral video claims)

In a post shared on X, the Bengaluru-based startup wrote: “Unless you have opted-in and paid for the program personally, the Pro doesn't come to the house with a camera.

“Opt in is not one time, it has to be affirmed before each booking. By default there is no camera involved, and when there is, it's impossible to miss. The pilot reaches 0.1% of customers and we spent months to ensure full DPDP compliance. And we are not the only company in the space doing this,” it explained.

What is Pronto?

Pronto is a platform that connects users with trained domestic workers. Users can book slots through its app for services like sweeping, utensil washing, kitchen and bathroom cleaning, mopping, laundry and other household chores. The Bengaluru-based startup has hit a $100 million valuation in less than a year since its launch.

Anjali Sardana is the 23-year-old founder and CEO of Pronto. She launched the startup in April 2025. Before launching the startup, she worked at Bain Capital and venture firm 8VC, and studied at Georgetown University in the US.

(Also read: 23-year-old behind $100M Bengaluru startup recalls sleeping on floor 9 months ago)

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sanya Jain

Sanya Jain is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Digital. She has nearly a decade of experience in covering offbeat stories that speak to the everyday experience - from viral videos to human interest copies that spark conversation. Her interests stretch across business, pop culture, social media trends, entertainment and global affairs. Before joining Hindustan Times, Sanya spent two years with Moneycontrol and five years with NDTV. She holds an undergraduate degree in English literature from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and a master’s in journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai. Sanya has a sharp eye for spotting emerging trends and looking for newsworthy angles to elevate viral posts into meaningful narratives. She was the first one, for example, to cover Narayana Murthy’s remark on 70-hour work weeks that sparked a national conversation. She is equally at ease writing about business leaders as about the common man, about issues of national importance and memes that amuse social media. Sanya enjoys speaking with content creators, newsmakers and entrepreneurs to transform everyday moments into engaging, slice-of-life stories that resonate with readers. When she is not working, Sanya can be found curled up with a good book. Born and raised in Lucknow, she has spent the last several years in Delhi. She is deeply interested in animal welfare and now spends a lot of her time running after her destructive orange cat.

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