How Meta tried, and failed, to grab its employees' data for AI

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Bloomberg/Getty Images Meta's top AI unit had a plan to teach chatbots to use computers: capture employees' screens.

The move sparked an internal revolt as workers fought back with memes, flyers, and a petition.

This story for The AI Data Grab series uncovers new details about how the program began.

This spring, members of Meta's elite AI unit, TBD , decided that the social media giant needed an edge in the AI race.

The edge they were looking for? Data from tens of thousands of Meta employees.

Meta introduced a program to collect data from employees for AI training, called Model Capability Initiative (MCI).

Employees' keystrokes and mouse movements could help Meta's AI replicate how humans use computers, a critical task as AI labs race to automate white-collar work like coding and accounting.

But Meta had a very human problem: its own employees, who revolted over the mandatory project as soon as it was announced.

Their resistance took the form of flyers, memes, and a viral petition against what some characterized as "the Eye of Sauron." Organizers say that their constant pressure forced Meta to make concessions and eventually drop the program.

Corporate data has become a gold mine for training AI because it helps algorithms deal with messy, real-world work environments — and workers are increasingly fighting back.

Former Spirit Airlines flight attendants temporarily blocked Google from buying the bankrupt airline's database for $10 million.

Over 1,800 Meta employees signed a petition calling for the company's internal tracking to be stopped.

Meta halted the tracking program after an internal data leak this summer, saying it would switch to being opt-in only.