Meta plans to track US employees’ computer actions to train AI agents

In short: Meta plans to use employee tracking software on some work tools in the US to collect data that helps train AI agents.

What happened

Reuters reports that Meta will start capturing US employees’ mouse movements, clicks, and keystrokes as they do day to day work. The report cites internal memos describing a “Model Capability Initiative” run by Meta Superintelligence Labs.

According to the memo, the tracking will run on specific work-related apps and websites. It will also take periodic screenshots to add context, like a snapshot of what was on screen at the time.

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone told Reuters the goal is to improve AI agents, meaning AI tools that can use a computer for you (like a helper who can click buttons and fill out forms). Stone said this kind of training data can help with tasks AI sometimes struggles with, such as navigating menus and dropdown lists. He also said the data will not be used to evaluate employees.

The report notes that tracking employees in Europe could conflict with national laws that limit how companies monitor workers. Meta has faced scrutiny in the European Union before over how it handled opt-outs for using people’s content to train AI.

Why it matters

Many new AI agents are being built to “drive” a computer the way a person does. To learn that, they need examples of real clicks and steps, not just text from the internet (like teaching someone to cook by watching what you do in the kitchen, not only reading recipes). Meta’s approach could make these tools more capable, but it also raises privacy and workplace monitoring questions, especially as more companies look for similar data.

Source: Arstechnica