Meta will start tracking employees’ keystrokes and mouse clicks to train its artificial intelligence (AI) models, the BBC reported last week. Meta, which owns the social media platforms Instagram and Facebook, told workers last Tuesday that they will be running a new tool on Meta computers and internal apps, logging their activity to train 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”.
One Meta employee told the BBC that the company “has become obsessed with AI”, while another ex-employee said the tracking tool is “just the latest way they’re shoving AI down everyone’s throat”. Speaking to HR magazine, Paige Rinke, vice president of people and talent at AI upskilling platform Multiverse, noted the importance of employee trust when training AI models.
Rinke said: “While data is the fuel for AI, the privacy practices and transparency used to gather that data are what determine if a workforce feels empowered or alienated.” Neal Riley, AI innovation lead at that parent organisation of several tech companies, The Adaptavist Group, agreed, telling HR magazine: “Transformation rollouts of any technology are built on business trust, concise messaging, and shared solutions to corporate challenges.”
To encourage employee adoption of new technologies, Rinke suggested that HR leaders focus on fostering a culture of advocacy. An effective example of this is the use of opt-in pilots, she said. “By inviting employees who are genuinely interested in the 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.” Riley suggested that HR leaders support AI adoption by highlighting the links between adopted tools, the work that employees are influencing, and the company’s overall strategy. He added: “This requires constant and consistent communication, and strong feedback loops to inform the overall strategy for a team, department, or the entire organisation.”
Rinke said: “True adoption happens when employees get to know AI, integrate it into their own workflows, and are rewarded for doing so. “When staff see themselves as active participants in innovation, rather than just subjects of it, the narrative shifts from fear to empowerment.”
