Coco denied collecting biometric information in Chicago. A company spokesperson said the complaints misunderstand its technology and called the lawsuit frivolous. Serve said its cameras and sensors help robots navigate safely, and that the company does not use the data to identify people or create biometric profiles. Serve said it would defend against the complaint.

The lawsuits add to wider neighborhood concerns about the robots, which deliver restaurant orders as part of Chicago’s Personal Delivery Device pilot program. Josh Robertson, who organized a petition seeking a pause to the program, said more than 4,600 Chicagoans have signed. Petitioners have raised privacy concerns as well as complaints about sidewalk and street obstructions, collisions with infrastructure, and potential effects on pets and children, he said.

Chicago introduced the pilot in 2022. Coco received a city license in November 2024, and Serve began operating in September 2025. The city’s Business Affairs and Consumer Protection and Transportation departments jointly oversee the program, which they describe as an effort to evaluate the technology’s benefits and risks.

The pilot is scheduled to end in May 2027 unless the City Council ends it sooner or votes to extend it. Robertson urged city leaders to weigh privacy and other neighborhood concerns as they decide what comes next.

The lawsuits’ allegations have not been established in court. The companies’ denials and the pending legal claims come as Chicago considers whether delivery robots should continue operating on its sidewalks.