Meta tracks employees
- Meta installed software on U.S. employees' work PCs to record keystrokes, mouse movements and screenshots for AI training. - The rollout sparked staff protests and pushback over workplace surveillance in multiple reports. - Meta says the data will teach agents real workflows, a move that turns tacit employee habits into training material ( ).
Meta is installing software on U.S. employees’ work computers to record keystrokes, clicks and screen activity for artificial intelligence training. (reuters.com) The tool, called Model Capability Initiative, runs in work-related apps and websites and can take occasional snapshots of what is on a worker’s screen, according to internal memos Reuters reviewed on April 21. (reuters.com) CNBC reported on April 22 that the monitored list includes Google, LinkedIn, Wikipedia, Microsoft’s GitHub, Salesforce’s Slack, Atlassian products, and some Meta services such as Threads and Manus. (cnbc.com) Meta said the point is to show its models how people actually use computers, including mouse movements, button clicks, dropdown menus and keyboard shortcuts. A company spokesperson told CNBC that agents need “real examples” of everyday computer work. (cnbc.com) This fits Meta’s broader push to build AI agents that can carry out office and coding tasks on their own. Reuters reported that Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth described that effort internally as “AI for Work,” later renamed Agent Transformation Accelerator. (reuters.com) Bosworth wrote in a separate memo that Meta’s “vision” is for agents to do most of the work while employees direct, review and improve them, Reuters reported. (reuters.com) The rollout drew internal pushback. Business Insider reported that “How do we opt out?” was the top-rated response on Meta’s internal workplace forum, and that the angry-face emoji was the most common reaction to the announcement. (businessinsider.com) Reuters reported that Meta said the data from Model Capability Initiative would not be used for performance reviews or any purpose other than model training, and that the company had safeguards for sensitive content. Meta did not detail which categories of information would be excluded. (reuters.com) The immediate fight inside Meta is over surveillance, but the underlying change is about labor: routine habits that used to stay in workers’ heads are being turned into training data for software meant to imitate those same workflows. (theverge.com)
