Meta will start tracking employees' keystrokes and mouse clicks to train its artificial intelligence (AI) models, the BBC reported.
Thus, Meta, which owns the social media platforms Instagram and Facebook, told employees that it would run a new tool on Meta's internal computers and applications, recording their activity to train AI technology, according to HR Magazine.
A Meta spokesperson told the BBC: „If we're building agents to help people get through their daily tasks using computers, our models need real-world 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.”.
A Meta employee told the BBC that the company has „become obsessed with AI,” while another former employee said the tracker is „just the latest way they're shoving AI down everyone's throat.”.
In a statement to HR magazine, Paige Rinke, VP of People and Talent at AI upskilling platform Multiverse, noted the importance of employee trust in training AI models.
Rinke said: „While data is the fuel for artificial intelligence, it is the privacy practices and transparency used to collect that data that determine whether a workforce feels empowered or alienated.”
Neal Riley, an AI innovation leader at tech company parent The Adaptavist Group, agreed, telling HR magazine: „Transformational implementations of any technology hinge on business buy-in, concise messaging, and common solutions to corporate challenges.”
To encourage employees„ adoption of new technologies, Rinke suggested that HR leaders focus on fostering a supportive culture. An effective example of this is using voluntary pilot programs, she said. ”By inviting employees who are genuinely interested in technology to participate, you allow them to see the direct benefits of their contributions. This bottom-up approach prevents the erosion of trust that often accompanies mandatory, surveillance-style data collection."