Building Smart Robots Requires Responsible Development
It has long been my goal to build robots that help people in their daily lives by fitting into their routines seamlessly – robots that know what job to do, and just do it. Since the launch of Roomba two decades ago, iRobot has been doing that, and since then we’ve worked continuously to make our robots smarter, more capable and more helpful.?
Our aim is to deliver a truly personalized experience, allowing people to clean when, where and how they want. Today, Roomba is smart enough to know how to clean specific rooms or particularly messy areas like “around the couch.” Robots like the Roomba j7 Series can recognize and avoid obstacles (shoes, socks, cables, pet bowls and more) to make sure the job gets done. Our robots can understand their environment, recognize more than 80 common objects in the home and react accordingly to provide the best cleaning experience possible.?
How do our robots get so smart? It starts during the development process, and as part of that, through the collection of data to train machine learning algorithms. Collecting this data enables us to build the intelligence inside our products that powers features like object recognition and avoidance, room identification and customized cleaning suggestions.??
Creating and enhancing this amazing partnership between people and robots will always require the collection of real-world data, and we strive to do that securely.??
If you read an article about images from iRobot development robots and have questions, I hope this blog will shed some light. The images included in a recent MIT Technology Review article are from iRobot development robots used by paid data collectors and employees in 2020.?They were leaked externally by an image annotation service provider. iRobot is terminating its relationship with the service provider, is actively investigating the matter and taking measures to help prevent a similar leak by any service provider in the future.??
We asked that MIT Technology Review withhold publication of the sensitive images, particularly the image with a child and the image of the person in the bathroom, due to the fact that they were improperly shared. Despite our request, they moved forward with including the images in the story. We deeply regret these images were shared in this manner and have alerted the employee and other data collector impacted by the leak.??
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It’s very important to note that:??
You may be aware that our newest robot vacuums, the Roomba j7 series, allow customers to opt-in to choose and submit images for machine learning purposes. While those images will be used to train machine learning algorithms in the future, they are not currently being used to do so. These images are only collected when a customer chooses to submit them.?
We take data privacy and security very seriously – not only with our customers but in every aspect of our business, including research and development. iRobot has stringent measures in place governing how we manage the data collected from research development robots, and we take precautions to ensure that personal data is processed securely and in accordance with applicable law.??
Our customers invite us into their most personal spaces – their homes – because they trust that our products will help them do more. iRobot takes that trust seriously. That’s why security and privacy features are built into our products from the beginning of the development process.??
You can learn more about iRobot’s commitment to privacy here: https://about.irobot.com/en-us/legal/privacy-principles.??
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1 年Dear Colin, I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to express my deep concern about an ongoing issue I've been facing with my iRobot H1 handheld vacuum. Despite being a loyal iRobot customer, I've encountered a significant problem with this product, which I reported to your customer service team over two weeks ago. Regrettably, I haven't received any response or acknowledgment of my request for assistance during this time. As a longtime advocate for iRobot's innovative solutions, this experience has left me somewhat disheartened. I understand that, as the CEO, your responsibilities are vast, but I believe in the company's commitment to excellence. I'm reaching out here in the hope that my concern will reach your attention, and perhaps prompt a review of the customer service processes to ensure more timely responses. I trust in iRobot's dedication to customer satisfaction and would greatly appreciate your support in resolving this issue swiftly. Thank you for your time and consideration. Warm regards, Sumit Agarwal
There is always a solution, always.
1 年Colin Angle it is irrelevant if the pictures came from a regular robot or from a dev unit. YOU are responsible. Blaming contractors, blaming Tech Review and blaming your testers just confirms your ignorance concerning data privacy. It was your fault that these pictures were shared unpixelated with externals, that you have not implemented DLP and so on. Your statement "We take data privacy and security very seriously – not only with our customers but in every aspect of our business, including research and development." is a joke because when smth happens (and it happened. Not just once.) You do not feel responsible. Am happy that had the right gut feeling and decided AGAINST a iRobot.
Technology Coordinator, Customer Care at The John Lewis Partnership
1 年Is it true that you shared pictures of minors without explicit consent from their parents, with 3rd party contractors?
Business Analyst, OCI Core Platforms, Oracle
1 年The linked Privacy Principles on transparency it states "We’re clear about what information we collect and why we collect it, always proactively communicating with you." Do you think this instance was handled proactively? It also states "The data we collect is kept safe using the highest industry standards—and used to improve your experience and your robot’s performance." The standards in place should be the same standards your testing community experiences. Why was this breach not communicated to the broader tester community when the breach itself implies your governance over third parties is insufficient? It's clear from the article that data is not only going to third parties but is being sent outside of the countries the data was collected in, where laws and regulations differ & loosen controls that iRobot should have in place. Essentially... why should a customer think that their privacy will be respected when this breach proves there is a lack of transparency, that proactive communications are not happening, that there is a lax policy and enforcement by iRobot for governance and auditing of its vendor relationships? There are multiple failures here that your article does not address. This is not responsible development.