Meta plans to track employees’ mouse and keyboard movements to collect data for AI training. The goal is to improve the company’s artificial intelligence agents that replicate human interactions with computers, Reuters reported reportsaccording to an internal memo shared with employees.
The tracking software, called the Model Capability Initiative (MCI), will be installed on business computers. The software will track employees’ mouse and keyboard activity on work-related apps and websites and periodically take screenshots of their work content.
“If we’re building agents to help people perform everyday tasks using computers, our models need real-world examples of how people use them — things like mouse movements, keystrokes and navigating drop-down menus,” a Meta spokesperson told Reuters.
Employee surveillance tools often raise privacy concerns and contribute to an unhealthy work environment. Meta tells Reuters that data collected through its MCI system will not be used for performance reviews and will include safeguards to protect sensitive employee data. For now, this tracking is limited to the company’s US-based employees.
The report comes as advances in artificial intelligence continue to put people out of work. Meta itself plans to begin layoffs on May 20, Reuters reported reports in a separate article. Company was fired hundreds of employees from its Metaverse division earlier this year. The latest round will eliminate 8,000 more jobs, about 10% of its global workforce.
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The meta won’t stop there. The second half of the year will see more job cuts, sources told Reuters.
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