Meta has unveiled plans to monitor its employees' keystrokes and mouse clicks through a new tool called the Model Capability Initiative (MCI). The system will operate on Meta's computers and internal applications, collecting data as workers perform their daily tasks. MCI will also capture screenshots of employees' screens to monitor their activities continuously.
According to a memo sent to staff on Tuesday, the collected data will be used to train Meta's latest generation of artificial intelligence (AI) models. The objective is to help Meta's AIs learn how to interact with computers by mimicking human actions such as using drop-down menus and keyboard shortcuts.
The memo, seen by Reuters, states: 'This is where all Meta employees can help our models get better simply by doing their daily work.' However, employees have expressed concerns that their every action is being used to train the very AIs that could eventually replace them. One employee told the BBC that the plan felt 'very dystopian' and that Meta has 'become obsessed with AI.'
This initiative coincides with Meta's major push to upgrade its AI products and integrate the technology into its own systems. Internally, staff are being encouraged to use AI tools as part of their work, even if it initially slows them down. AI agents are increasingly capable of automating large portions of daily work but still struggle with tasks humans find simple, like navigating menus.
In a separate memo shared yesterday, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth stated that the company would accelerate its work on 'AI for work.' He told employees: 'The vision we are building towards is one where our agents primarily do the work and our role is to direct, review and help them improve.' He added that the ultimate goal is for AIs to 'automatically see where we felt the need to intervene so they can be better next time.'
To achieve this, Meta will be 'rigorous' in collecting data directly from employees' work habits. While Meta asserts that the data will not be used for performance reviews, the announcement has raised concerns about escalating corporate surveillance. Tom Hegarty, head of communications for tech campaign group Foxglove, told the Daily Mail: 'Facebook content moderators... have long warned of facing intense workplace surveillance from Meta... Now it seems this intense surveillance is being rolled across Meta's global workforce.'
With the threat of large layoffs looming, some Meta employees worry that this data collection could threaten their roles in the long run. One former employee described the tracking tool as 'just the latest way they're shoving AI down everyone's throat.' Meta has already laid off approximately 2,000 employees this year and plans to cut its global workforce by 10% starting in May.
Simultaneously, the company has been investing heavily in its AI teams. Last year, Meta spent $14 billion (£10.35 billion) to acquire most of AI rival Scale AI and poached several top executives to build its own tools. Meta also made headlines by offering some of the largest contracts ever awarded to AI engineers, with pay packages reaching hundreds of millions. In January, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said this would be 'the year that AI dramatically changes the way we work.' The company now plans to spend $140 billion (£103.5 billion) on AI in 2026, nearly double its 2025 spending.
Meta is even preparing to create an AI clone of Zuckerberg himself to interact with employees on his behalf. The chatbot is being trained on the CEO's mannerisms, tone, public statements, and recent thinking on company strategies. The Daily Mail has contacted Meta for comment.
