EYE SEE YOU

Elon Musk Puts His AI Company’s Employees Under Surveillance

Musk’s xAI employees received a deadline to install a productivity tracking software on their personal computers.

Billionaire Elon Musk shocked his xAI workers by asking them to download a productivity tracking software on their personal computers.

Musk made downloading the software, called Hubstaff, mandatory for all employees working to tutor his artificial intelligence chatbot Grok, requiring it even for those without a company-issued computer, Business Insider reported.

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Employees were given a July 11 deadline to install the software. However, the company has since told employees that they could wait until they received an xAI-issued laptop after the company was contacted for comment, according to Business Insider.

In an email sent to all employees, the xAI human resources department said the software “serves to streamline work processes, provide clearer insights into daily tutoring activities, and ensure resources align with Human Data priorities.”

According to the email and a document reviewed by Business Insider, xAI stated that Hubstaff would be used solely to monitor URLs and applications during designated work hours. Employees must also allow the software to capture screenshots.

However, the conditions surrounding the downloading of the software have sparked privacy concerns, with one employee rebuking the software as “surveillance disguised as productivity” and “manipulation masked as culture.”

In addition to tracking keystrokes and mouse movement, Hubstaff also requires workers to clock in and out of work, with activity outside of work hours not tracked.

Despite the inherent Big Brother qualities of the software, an employment attorney told Business Insider that the legal risks around such software are minimal—especially if the company gives appropriate notice to employees.

“It’s a balancing test,” said attorney David Lowe.

Musk’s XAI could cite protecting “trade secrets and ensuring employees are not violating privacy obligations” as a reason behind the software, Lowe said. “The next step is to determine if there is a less intrusive way to accomplish that objective.”

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Grok has been a priority for Musk after the AI chatbot told users that the biggest threat facing Western civilization was “misinformation.”

Musk announced that the company is rolling out a new version of the chatbot after it went on an antisemitic tirade and praised Adolf Hitler.

The company said it was “taking action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X.” However, when Grok cited more of the same about misinformation and climate change being threats last week, Musk wasn’t happy.

“Sorry for this idiotic response,” he wrote in a post on X. “Will fix in the morning.”

The Daily Beast has reached out to xAI for further comment.

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