In a leaked audio surfacing on social media, Mark Zuckerberg appears to explain why Meta has been tracking employee computer activity. A leaked audio is being circulated on social media with the claim that it is Mark Zuckerberg explaining why Meta has started tracking employee computer activity, stating that the company wants its AI systems to learn directly from its employees. This comes at a time when thousands of employees across the world were shaken by layoff emails from Meta.Mark Zuckerberg's purported leaked audio suggests Meta tracked employees to train AI (REUTERS/Mike Blake TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY/File Photo) (REUTERS)According to social media reports, the audio is believed to be from an internal all-hands meeting held on April 30. Zuckerberg allegedly made the comments after an employee questioned Meta’s decision to install tracking software on company computers in the US. The software was reportedly designed to capture mouse movements, clicks and keystrokes, raising concerns among employees.HT.com could not independently verify the authenticity of the leaked audio.What he hear in the audio“So in other news, I know layoffs are top of mind, but there were also some updates this week around, and a question around employee device tracking,” the employee said during the meeting, and then asked Zuckerberg to explain why the company was monitoring workers’ computers.Read More | Mark Zuckerberg spotted cruising on $300 million mega yacht. WatchPer the audio, Zuckerberg defended the practice, saying modern AI systems improve by observing highly skilled people performing real-world tasks.“So we're in a phase where basically the AI models learn from watching really smart people do things,” he said.Zuckerberg said that Meta believes its own employees are more capable compared to the outside contractors various AI companies depend on when it comes to training data. He argued that by studying how Meta engineers code, solve problems and use computers, the company’s AI systems could become even more capable.Read More | Mark Zuckerberg scales back metaverse dreams after $80 billion in losses“The average intelligence of the people who are at this company is significantly higher than the average set of people that you can get to do tasks,” Zuckerberg allegedly said. “So if we're trying to teach the models coding, for example, then having people internally build tools or solve tasks that help teach the model how to code, we think is going to dramatically increase our model's coding ability faster than what others in the industry have the capability to do.”The leaked audio has surfaced at a time when Meta is racing to compete with rivals in the global AI battle while simultaneously laying off employees. The layoffs are part of the company’s recently announced restructuring effort aimed at cutting costs and improving efficiency, while pouring billions of dollars into AI at the same time.Sumanti Sen covers everything that’s happening in the US, from politics to entertainment, but her expertise lies in covering crime news. She has comprehensively chronicled the Idaho student murders, the Laken Riley and Iryna Zarutska cases, and the killing of Charlie Kirk, among other incidents. Over the years, she has interviewed several victims/families of victims of crimes seeking justice. She digs up stories that might otherwise remain unheard, and does her bit to ensure that victims and survivors’ voices are heard. Sumanti’s many years of experience also include interviews with Hamas attack survivors and mental health experts, among others. Her coverage of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and interviews with survivors of the tragedy, coupled with her other works including the Titan submersible coverage, earned her the Digi Journo of the Quarter award during her first year at Hindustan Times. Sumanti actively tracks missing person cases in the United States, and peruses Reddit and other social media platforms to bring to light cases that frequently elude public attention. She has extensively covered the disappearances of Nancy Guthrie, Thomas Medlin, Beau Mann, and Sudiksha Konanki, among others. When not at work, you will either find her with her novels, or with her beloved rescue pooches.Read MoreSee Less