How Meta tried, and failed, to grab its employees' data for AI
Meta attempted to implement a program called the Model Capability Initiative to collect employee keystrokes and mouse movements for AI training. The project faced significant internal backlash from staff, leading the company to suspend the program.
Why it matters
This highlights the growing tension between corporate AI data collection practices and employee privacy rights in the workplace.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Bloomberg/Getty Images Meta's top AI unit had a plan to teach chatbots to use computers: capture employees' screens. The move sparked an internal revolt as workers fought back with memes, flyers, and a petition. This story for The AI Data Grab series uncovers new details about how the program began. This spring, members of Meta's elite AI unit, TBD , decided that the social media giant needed an edge in the AI race. The edge they were looking for? Data from tens of thousands of Meta employees. Meta introduced a program to collect data from employees for AI training, called Model Capability Initiative (MCI). Employees' keystrokes and mouse movements could help Meta's AI replicate how humans use computers, a critical task as AI labs race to automate white-collar work like coding and accounting.
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