In brief
Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, plans to initiate tracking of employee activities on its internal systems as part of a new tool aimed at training its artificial intelligence (AI) systems. This decision has sparked controversy, particularly amidst ongoing job cuts within the company. While Meta assures that the data will only be used for training purposes and that safeguards are in place for sensitive information, employees express discomfort over the surveillance and the broader implications of the company's AI ambitions.
Meta will start tracking the way employees work, including their keystrokes and mouse clicks, to train its artificial intelligence (AI) models.
The company, which owns Instagram and Facebook, told workers on Tuesday that a new tool will run on Meta's computers and internal apps, logging their activity to be used as training data for AI technology.
A Meta spokesman told the BBC: If we're building agents to help people complete everyday tasks using computers, our models need real examples of how people actually use them.
The data is not used for any other purpose, he said, adding that the tool has safeguards in place to protect sensitive content.
However, one Meta employee, who asked not to be identified, expressed that having their smallest actions on a computer being used to train AI models while expecting additional job cuts feels very dystopian.
Another individual who recently exited the company labeled the tracking tool as just the latest way they're shoving AI down everyone's throat.
Meta has laid off around 2,000 employees this year amid smaller workforce reductions, but employees anticipate further extensive job losses in the coming months.
Last month, the company imposed a partial hiring freeze that appears to be more expansive than initially thought. Jobs previously advertised on Meta's employment site have plummeted from around 800 listings to just seven.
Meta's spokesman did not comment on the removal of job listings or future layoff plans.
The new tracking tool is known as the Model Capability Initiative (MCI), as first reported by Reuters. Previously, employee activities on Meta computers were accessible to the company, but specific tracking for AI training purposes is a new development.
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta's co-founder and CEO, has recently committed to significantly increasing investment in AI projects, aiming to place the company at the forefront of AI technology. Meta plans to invest approximately $140 billion in AI by 2026, a substantial increase from its previous budget.
In 2025, Meta made a significant acquisition of nearly half of Scale AI, pouring $14 billion into the data-labeling firm to bolster its AI resources.
The new tool's implementation is expected to assist in developing new AI models originating from the company's restructured Meta Superintelligence Labs.
Zuckerberg foresees 2026 as a pivotal year for AI transformation in the workplace, predicting that tasks once requiring large teams will increasingly be handled by individuals.
