Azernews.Az

by Alimat Aliyeva

Meta has scaled back its controversial plan to monitor employees’ computer activity following criticism from staff, AzerNEWS reports, citing BBC.

Earlier this year, the company faced backlash after announcing a new system that would track employees’ keystrokes and mouse movements to help train its artificial intelligence models. The initiative, known as the Model Capability Initiative (MCI), was designed to provide AI systems with real-world examples of how people interact with computers while performing everyday tasks.

According to Reuters, Meta has now introduced additional safeguards that will allow employees to pause data collection for up to 30 minutes at a time. Workers will also be able to apply for exemptions from the program under certain circumstances.

Meta declined to comment publicly on the changes.

The decision comes after weeks of internal criticism. More than 1,500 employees reportedly signed a petition opposing the initiative, raising concerns about privacy, workplace surveillance, and the broader implications of using employee activity to train AI systems.

When the program was first announced, Meta defended the move, arguing that AI assistants designed to help users complete computer-based tasks need access to real examples of human behavior. The company also stressed that the collected data would be used exclusively for AI training and that safeguards were in place to protect sensitive information.

However, many employees remained unconvinced. One staff member, speaking anonymously, described the initiative as “very dystopian,” reflecting growing concerns across the tech industry about the balance between AI development and employee privacy.

Interestingly, the debate at Meta mirrors a wider trend among major technology companies. As the race to build more capable AI systems intensifies, firms are increasingly seeking access to large amounts of real-world behavioral data. At the same time, regulators and workers are demanding greater transparency regarding how such data is collected, stored, and used.

Experts suggest that the controversy highlights a key challenge facing the AI industry: developing advanced systems while maintaining trust, privacy, and ethical standards in the workplace.