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Meta turned to its own workforce for data it believed could help strengthen its position in the artificial intelligence race. The company’s elite AI unit, known as TBD, introduced the Model Capability Initiative (MCI), a program designed to collect data on how thousands of employees use their computers.
MCI was ‘invented’ by Meta for fundamental drawbacks in its AI systems. While the software is skilled in areas such as programming and research, it is not able to perform basic computer tasks.
According to people familiar with the project, Meta believed employee data could help AI systems understand how people actually work with computers. The initiative was conceived in TBD, an AI research lab of about 100 people that is considered one of Meta’s most advanced AI labs.
The programme focused on collecting information such as keystrokes, mouse movements and screen activity, which could help AI models learn how humans interact with computers.
When Meta announced MCI internally in April, the response fell far short of what the company expected. Employees raised concerns that the programme could capture sensitive information from their computers, including passwords, immigration documents and credit card details.
Some also feared the data could eventually be used to automate jobs currently performed by Meta employees. The opposition quickly spread through internal channels. Employees shared anti-MCI memes, while the recording icon was mockingly called the “Eye of Sauron”.
An internal petition opposing the programme collected more than 1,800 signatures. Employees also distributed flyers at Meta offices and posted messages protesting the initiative.
Meta initially gave workers the option to opt out for 30 minutes in June so they could take care of personal business. Activists, however, considered the measure insufficient and demanded that MCI be cancelled.
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MCI suffered its biggest setback toward the end of June, when it emerged that data collected through the software was visible throughout Meta and included private conversations.
The leak quickly became a viral sensation inside the company and appeared to confirm employees’ concerns about tight control of the data. Meta switched off MCI within hours. The company said it had suspended the programme and would make it opt-in if it brought it back.
Two months later, MCI remained suspended. Questions also remained about whether the collected data was used to train Meta’s latest AI models. A manager reportedly said in July that the data had not been used, while Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth told employees that the data was more useful than expected.
