A1June 21, 2026·2 min read·272 words·6 vocab words·Source: BBC Technology

Free House Cleaning in New York

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Free House Cleaning in New York
Photo: BBC Technology
In brief

Micro AGI is a company in New York. The company has a project named Shift. Cleaners work in homes for free. But the cleaners wear cameras. The cameras record the rooms. The company collects data to train robots. Some people worry about their privacy.

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A new company is in New York. The company name is Micro AGI. The company has a new project. The project name is Shift. The company offers free help in homes.

Two young workers clean a small apartment. They clean the kitchen and the rooms. They work five days every week. They clean five homes every day. The workers are college graduates. They want to do this work. They do the cleaning for free. But there is a problem.

The workers wear small cameras. The cameras are on their caps. The cameras connect to mobile phones. The cameras record the apartment. The cameras record the clean rooms. They record the hands of the workers. This data helps the robots.

A man leads this new project. His name is Bercan Kilic. He wants to train robots. He wants to build smart robots. The robots need to clean. The robots need to cook. But robots can not see well. Every home kitchen is different. Every room has different light. The robots need to learn. They need a lot of data. So the company collects home data. They sell this home data. They sell it to robot companies. The other companies make robots.

Some people do not like this. They worry about their privacy. One manager is Rory Mir. He works for a group. He says this project is bad. Other businesses can get the data. Governments can get the data. The data is not safe. Another manager is Calli Schroeder. She says this project is bad. She says it takes user privacy. But many people want free help. So the cleaners are very busy.

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Comprehension
Question 1 of 3

What is the name of the new company's project?

Grammar spotlight

Present Simple of 'be'

One point · A1

We use the present simple of the verb 'be' (am, is, are) to describe facts, names, or states of being.

From this article

The project name is Shift.

What to know · A1

Use it today

Try saying this aloud

Neutral register

Scenario: You are talking to a friend about a new service that cleans homes for free.

  1. 01A new company is in...
  2. 02The project name is...
  3. 03They do the cleaning for free.

Register tip · informal

🔑Key Phrases

The project name is Shift.Das Projekt heisst Shift.

This phrase introduces the name of a specific work plan or project.

Noun + Noun + Be + Proper Noun

The company name is Google.

They clean five homes every day.Sie putzen jeden Tag fünf Wohnungen.

This tells us how often a cleaning task happens.

Present Simple for routine

We read two books every week.

The data is not safe.Die Daten sind nicht sicher.

This expression warns about a lack of safety or security.

Negative Present Simple of Be

Your password is not safe.

🎙️ Article Audio — Kokoro TTS

Free House Cleaning in New York

💬Discussion Questions

Open-ended questions to talk or write about — alone, with a partner, or in class.

  1. 1

    Do you like computers and robots in your house?

    Personal
  2. 2

    Is a free clean house good or bad for you?

    Opinion
  3. 3

    Do you want cameras in your kitchen?

    Personal
  4. 4

    Why is privacy important to you?

    Opinion
  5. 5

    Can robots clean houses better than humans?

    Compare
  6. 6

    Will all houses have robots in the future?

    Predict
  7. 7

    Is it good to sell information to other companies?

    Evaluate
  8. 8

    What is your favorite technology at home?

    Personal

Adapted from BBC Technology · Read the original. LinguaPress rewrites the facts as original graded-reader text for language learners.

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