The Latest Breaking News from Pronto

Recent data-gathering pilots by on-demand service platforms Pronto and Snabbit have drawn a spotlight on India’s emerging physical AI ecosystem – and put safety regulators on edge. Sources told ET that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has taken note of recent developments, especially Pronto’s in-home recording pilots.

Pronto's service professionals — who provide cleaning, washing, and meal preparation services — record their activities, generating videos that can help train physical AI systems. Following privacy concerns, the founders of rival platforms Urban Company and Snabbit clarified that they do not engage in such practices and have no plans…

As platforms raise prices and battle for workers, questions are emerging around the long-term size and profitability of the 10-minute househelp market. Companies are now expanding into adjacent categories such as cooking and car washing to deepen engagement and drive growth.

Home services platform Urban Company reported a 57-fold jump in net loss to Rs 161 crore in the March quarter of FY26, primarily due to increased spending on its InstaHelp segment. The company is prioritizing market share over short-term profitability in this competitive on-demand domestic help market.