Meta is installing new tracking software on U.S.-based employees’ computers to capture mouse movements, clicks and keystrokes for use in training its artificial intelligence models, part of a broad initiative to build AI agents that can perform work tasks autonomously, the company told staffers in internal memos seen by Reuters.
Great. Now everyone will be making quirky mouse movements and clicking at nothing - adding these motions into the database. And the first wave of replacement robots (programs) will slow down live interface to a standstill as the humans are retired and the bots take charge. And the “modern world” will return ever closer to the dark ages.
Wait ??!
I wasn’t understanding what use keystrokes and mouse-clicks would have without also capturing what’s happening on screen. Turn out, they are also capturing that:
The tool, called Model Capability Initiative (MCI), will run on work-related apps and websites and will also take occasional snapshots of the content on employees’ screens
Oh man I’d be cleaning out my desk and leaving right then.
This is exactly why I never bought one of their headsets and why their VR division was doomed to fail. They want to do this kind of stuff with your head tracking data.
VR could have been something cool, but I’m steering clear of it…
Also, the lack of standards doesn’t help. I won’t buy a VR until they have a common standard the way that monitors do. Yes, I know it might be a very long wait.
I guess it’s not technically a standard but Steam VR runs on every client OS and streams to any VR headset money can buy over USB or network.
They want to do this kind of stuff with your head tracking data.
The newer headsets can do eye tracking/gaze estimation. Useful for some VR things (foveated rendering) but I wouldn’t trust Meta to leave the data on the headset.
Seriously, why would anyone that isn’t a far-right fascist even work there anymore?
Before my buddy got laid off there they were making $200k/yr plus stock to work remote about 10hrs/week. I kinda understand why they were willing to compromise their morals.
I’ve heard they pay really well.
Their turnover is questionable
OMG that’s so creepy
Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, now they will literally have performance metrics for all employees. Prepare to see non-executive white collar jobs turn into minimum wage slogfests where you’re pruned if even 10% of your time is idle.
Hehe that’s funny you think this is performance metrics and not just training AI agents to do the work without having to pay a human.
¿por qué no los dos?
They weren’t already?
As far as I could tell, they weren’t when I worked there. Then again, I was the only person I knew who had a Linux workstation, and one running Wayland at that, so it may have been present on the Mac and Windows machines and I just never knew about it.
Oh they were, but now it’s going to less secret
Probably a way to encourage them to quit. No doubt they did it before. They probably just made the announcement to put unnecessary stress on employees.
Can someone train it to download and extract a zip bomb or do the fork bomb terminal trick?
Here’s a sneak peek into a management review meeting in the near future:
“Why is our AI browsing porn in the middle of the workday and constantly writing ‘It fucking sucks ass here’ in corporate documents?”
Or just making superfluous to do lists and ridiculously long reports on its activities because it needs to get the clicks in.
I’m pretty sure the EU won’t let them pull this off with their EU employees. And the US will do absolutely nothing to protect their citizens that are employees of Meta. Disgusting behaviour from Meta, there’s absolutely no bottom for them.
This is nothing compared to their enablement of the Rohingya genocide. In terms of less horrific, but still impactful crimes their recent premeditated promotion of scams to gain revenue on commissions ($16 B in a year) is also worth mentioned.
But the enablement of the Rohingya genocide really does make one wonder if exceptions need to be made with respect to state use of capital punishment (which I generally do not support, but I can see the need for exceptions such high treason during war and crimes against humanity).
I read that as the animal mice, and I was wondering why Meta was hiring mice.
because they have the best laid plans
