Meta has terminated its contract with Kenyan technology outsourcing company Sama. A while ago, reports surfaced that employees had to review footage from Meta’s Ray-Ban AI smart glasses, including intimate personal videos of users.
Approximately 1,108 workers lost their jobs as a result of this measure. The decision comes less than two months after reports in Swedish newspapers Goteborgs-Posten and Svenska Dagbladet revealed that workers tasked with training Meta’s AI system were reviewing clips of users using the bathroom, undressing, and having sex.
Mehta said it ended the partnership because Sama did not meet its standards. Sama denied the allegations and defended his activities.
In a statement quoted by the BBC, the company said: “Sama has consistently met the operational, security and quality standards required across our customer engagements, including our dealings with Meta.” “At no time have we been informed of any failure to meet these standards and we stand firmly behind the quality and integrity of our work,” it added.
In February, anonymous Sama officials described the disturbing nature of some of the footage they were required to review and annotate. “We see everything from living rooms to nudity. There are even sex scenes filmed using smart glasses, and someone is wearing smart glasses during sex,” one employee said.
Another official said some users seemed unaware that they were recording sensitive moments. “In some of the videos, you can see someone going to the bathroom or taking off their clothes. I don’t think they know, because if they knew they wouldn’t have recorded it,” the employee said.
The workers also claimed they felt pressured to continue reviewing the footage or risk losing their jobs.
Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses allow users to interact with an AI assistant using the phrase “Hey Meta.” The device can activate the camera to record videos, take photos, and make first-person video calls.
