Meta goes all-in on AI and employees are not happy
What's the story
Meta, the tech giant led by Mark Zuckerberg, is facing backlash from its employees over a new artificial intelligence (AI) tracking program. The initiative aims to collect data on how workers use their computers, including what they type, mouse movements, clicks and screen views. The information is then used to train Meta's AI models on "how people actually complete everyday tasks using computers."
Backlash
Employees slam AI tracking initiative as 'antisocial'
The announcement of the AI tracking program was met with a wave of criticism from Meta employees. Many viewed it as a violation of privacy, calling it "antisocial" and "callous." An engineering manager even expressed discomfort over the move, asking how they could opt out. However, Andrew Bosworth, Meta's Chief Technology Officer, clarified that there was no option to opt-out on corporate laptops.
AI integration
Performance reviews now factoring in AI tool usage
Meta is pushing its 78,000 employees to use AI tools and is even factoring their usage into performance reviews. The company is also using the data from employees' computer work to train its AI models. As part of this shift, Meta has announced plans to lay off about 8,000 workers this month. The cuts are intended "to offset the other investments we're making," Janelle Gale, Meta's head of human resources said in an internal message.
Data security
Bosworth assures data is 'very tightly controlled'
The AI tracking program has raised concerns among employees about the safety of their data. Many have questioned whether Meta could secure the information it collects from workers while using it to train its AI models. In response, Bosworth assured that "this data is very tightly controlled" and "this will not be a leak risk."
Uncertainty
CFO hints at more layoffs, leaving employees anxious
Meta's CFO Susan Li hinted at more changes to come, saying, "We don't really know what the optimal size of the company will be in the future." This uncertainty has left employees feeling unsettled. Some have even shared layoff guides and nihilistic memes in response to the news of impending job cuts. Despite these challenges, Zuckerberg remains optimistic about AI's potential impact on Meta's future.