The original poster (OP) shared their experience of attending a sales pitch for a significant ‘productivity monitoring’ software suite this morning, highlighting its features.
A new AI-powered productivity monitoring software has sparked outrage among social media users, many of whom have labeled it as “dystopian.” This tool is designed to track employees’ every action, measuring their efficiency and even suggesting potential automation replacements.
The debate was ignited when a Reddit user recounted their experience with a sales presentation for the software on the r/sysadmin subreddit. The user detailed that the software surpasses traditional monitoring methods by utilising AI to assess workers on multiple metrics, create a “productivity graph,” issue warnings for underperformance, and even recommend employee terminations.
The original poster (OP) shared their experience of attending a sales pitch for a significant ‘productivity monitoring’ software suite this morning, highlighting its features.
The software’s core functionalities include comprehensive keylogging, tracking of mouse movements, periodic desktop screenshot capture, and monitoring of program usage. Additionally, it records real-time activities and produces heatmaps that display where users click within applications.
The OP pointed out that the software categorises employees into specific “work categories” with their peers. Utilising data such as mouse movement patterns, typing speed, backspacing frequency, website visits, email activity, and program usage, the AI generates a “productivity graph” for each individual.
The user explained that if an employee’s performance dips below a certain threshold, they receive a red flag. This alert is communicated to the manager and higher-ups, prompting the employee to provide an explanation for their decreased productivity on an internal portal.
What alarmed many was the software’s dual purpose. The Reddit user noted, “It also claims it can use all of this gathered data for ‘workflow efficiency automation’ (e.g., replacing you). The same company that sells this suite conveniently also sells AI automation services.”
The post rapidly gained traction, receiving thousands of comments from worried users. Many criticiesd the software’s invasive nature and its potential to create a toxic work environment.
A user said, “If your productivity falls below a specific threshold, HR will use AI to launch a drone to your location to put you on PIP. It’s gonna be great!”
“If your managers need this, my opinion is you need new managers. This is armchair managing at its finest. We are a manufacturing facility, supervisors that manage from their chairs via our on site cameras lose camera access,” another user said.
