Employees express alarm over a “dystopian” AI software designed for “productivity monitoring” that closely tracks employee actions and suggests potential automation replacements.
A Reddit user shared their experience with a sales pitch for this tool, which meticulously monitors worker efficiency across various metrics and advises on employee termination.
The software performs extensive tracking, including full keylogging, mouse movement monitoring, and desktop screenshot capture at regular intervals. It also records the frequency of program usage and creates real-time recordings and heat maps of clicks within any program, the user explained on the r/sysadmin subreddit.
Furthermore, the software categorizes workers alongside their peers, generating a “productivity graph” based on detailed data such as mouse movements, keystroke speed, use of the backspace key, website visits, program usage, and email activity, comparing these against coworkers’ data in the same category.
Critically, if an employee’s performance dips below a certain threshold, they receive an immediate red flag for review, prompting them to justify any productivity gaps via an online portal.
The application also claims to utilize this extensive data collection for “workflow efficiency automation,” hinting at the potential for replacing human workers with AI, which is also offered by the same company marketing this software.
As the Reddit post spread, thousands of users voiced their concerns, condemning the intrusive nature of such technology.
One user remarked, “Holy sh*t, this is awful. It’s absurd that someone can’t pause to think without being penalized for inactivity,” highlighting how such systems might promote manipulative behaviours. Another expressed shock, questioning, “What kind of dystopian employer would employ such software? It’s nightmare fuel.”
A third suggested, “If your company is seriously considering this, find a new job.”
