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Meta is planning to track employees’ mouse and keyboard movements to accumulate data for AI training. The goal is to improve the company’s AI agents that replicate human interaction with computers, Reuters reports, citing an internal memo shared with employees.
The tracking software, called Model Capability Initiative (MCI), will be installed on work computers. The software will track employees' mouse and keyboard activity across work-related apps and websites, and occasionally capture screenshots of their work content.
“If we’re building agents to help people complete everyday tasks using computers, our models need real examples of how people actually use them — things like mouse movements, clicking buttons, and navigating dropdown menus,” a Meta spokesperson tells Reuters.
Employee surveillance tools often raise privacy concerns and contribute to unhealthy work environments. Meta tells Reuters that the data collected through its MCI system won’t be used for performance reviews and will include safeguards to protect sensitive employee information. For now, this tracking is limited to the company’s US-based employees.
The report arrives as AI advancements continue to push people out of jobs. Meta itself is planning to begin layoffs on May 20, Reuters reports in a separate article. The company laid off hundreds of employees from its Metaverse division at the start of this year. The latest round will eliminate 8,000 more jobs, which is around 10% of its global workforce.
Meta won’t be stopping there. The second half of the year will bring further job cuts, sources tell Reuters.