Meta will track its employees’ keystrokes, clicks and mouse movements — and even capture screenshots of what’s on their computer screens — to help train the company’s AI models. That’s according to a Reuters report on Tuesday, citing an internal memo sent to employees.
According to the memo, Meta will install a new software program called the Model Capability Initiative on the computers of US-based employees and contractors. The tracking software will work on work-related apps and websites and is part of Meta’s plan to build AI agents that can automate tasks.
The announcement, published in its entirety by Business Insider, said the monitored apps and URLs will include Gmail, GChat and Metamate, the employee’s AI assistant. Staff calls would not be included in the tracking.
Business Insider reported that Meta employees are “holding hands” over the plan to use the tracking software.
On an internal social media website seen by the news agency, one employee wrote, “This makes me very uncomfortable. How do we get out?”
Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth responded, “There’s no way to get off your work laptop,” prompting employees to respond with shaking, crying and angry emojis, according to Business Insider.
As it invests in AI development — more than $135 billion this year — Meta continues to reduce the number of people. The company plans to lay off about 8,000 workers, 10% of its 79,000 workforce, starting May 20. The company has reportedly cut 25,000 jobs through 2022.
A look at Meta’s AI
Meta wants to train its AI in tasks it can’t replicate, focusing on how people use their computers. This includes actions such as selecting options from drop-down menus and using keyboard shortcuts.
“This is where all Meta employees can help make our models better by doing their daily work,” the memo said.
Reuters said the memo was posted by an anonymous AI researcher on Tuesday at the company’s SuperIntelligence Labs team.
According to Reuters, Bosworth told employees that the long-term vision is for AI agents to “do the work” while employees guide them and help them improve. He didn’t say exactly how the agents will be trained with the data, but he said Meta will collect data strictly “on every type of interaction we have as we go about our work.”
Eric Null, director of the Privacy and Data Project at the digital rights organization Center for Democracy & Technology, said Meta’s program to track employees’ computer interactions is one of the most “invasive” forms of workplace surveillance.
“That attack underscores the need for clear protections for privacy and security AI,” Null told CNET. “This type of surveillance can cause real harm to people with disabilities, and workers often resent this type of tracking. Using this data for AI training in particular has the potential to replicate structural biases.”
In a statement provided to CNET, a Meta spokesperson said the employee tracking is intended to give AI models “real-world examples” of how people interact with their computers.
“To help, we’re introducing an internal tool that will capture these types of inputs from specific programs to help us train our models,” the spokesperson said. “There are safeguards in place to protect sensitive content, and the data is not used for any other purposes.”
Meta said it will not use the data collected in performance reviews and managers will not be able to see it.
Business Insider cited an independent source who said that, upon hiring, employees were told that their work equipment could be monitored by Meta.
