By Ken Muthomi - Reporter
Kenya, April 22, 2026 - Tech giant Meta is set to install new software on employees’ devices to collect detailed usage data that will help train its AI models, as part of a broader initiative to build systems capable of performing tasks autonomously.
The mother company of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram told Reuters that it will embed the tracking software, dubbed 'Model Capability Initiative (MCI)', in its U.S.-based employees’ computers to track their mouse movements and key strokes, which will then be utilised by engineers to train its AI models.
According to Meta’s spokespersons, the software will run on employees' work-related apps and websites, where it will take screenshots of their screens, which will then be fed to the training systems.
Meta develops and operates a wide range of AI models and tools, with a primary focus on open-source large language models and generative AI systems.
As of 2026, the company’s key model families include the Llama series and other multimodal and generative AI systems used across its platforms.
The company claims that the training will be fundamental in improving these models’ ability to interact with computer applications like humans.
"If we're building agents to help people complete everyday tasks using computers, our models need real examples of how people actually use them — things like mouse movements, clicking buttons, and navigating dropdown menus," Meta spokesperson Andy Stone told Reuters.
Experts say the rapid transformation of AI is reshaping jobs in various industries, especially in the tech industry, with some roles being reduced as companies accommodate the new technologies.
Even though leaders in this space still maintain that the advancement of AI will not threaten jobs, major companies, especially in Silicon Valley, have started executing mass layoffs amid cost-cutting and restructuring, alongside increased investment in AI systems.
Meta is set to kickstart another round of mass layoffs starting May 20, while other companies such as Oracle and Amazon have already carried out significant layoffs in recent months, with the white-collar roles being the most affected.
Meta, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are projected to spend approximately $720 billion on AI infrastructure in 2026 alone.
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