These major companies are using AI to snoop on employees’ online chats

Gone are the days of in-office water cooler chats,

The work from home movement has given way for more employee chats to take place online. However, remote workers may want to practice caution before chatting through keyboards amid new reports that artificial intelligence could snoop through messages. 

Several companies, including Walmart, Delta, T-Mobile, Chevron and Starbucks, are now reportedly monitoring employee conversations on messaging apps using software from a startup A.I. company called “Aware.” 

“Aware’s” software is said to scan platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams for keywords that may indicate employee dissatisfaction and potential safety risks.

The company claims it has already assessed up to 20 billion individual messages from more than 3 million employees. 

FOX Business’ Lydia Hu spoke with everyday Americans to get their take on robots reading their work messages, which was largely deemed a displeasing progression in technology. 

Starbucks now is using software from a startup A.I. company called “Aware.”  AFP via Getty Images

“I would feel like, I don’t know, like they’re just trying to get something out of me and get me in trouble or something. I don’t know, it would be very sneaky,” one woman told Hu.

“I’ve seen A.I. being used firsthand, and it’s so flawed and so messed up that I just think it wouldn’t be a useful investment of anyone’s time or money anyways. And that just doesn’t really foster a trustworthy kind of business vibe,” another woman argued.

On the other hand, some respondents were less than bothered by the idea.

“I think I’m fine with it because I’m very watchful of what I do on company time, company property, anything like that,” one man said.

According to statistics published by Slack – one of the leading messaging apps for businesses – the communication tool is used by more than 100,000 organizations.

“The work-from-anywhere business model is here to stay,” Slack’s site reads, before listing companies like IBM, Target, Time, Airbnb, and the aforementioned T-Mobile, as clients.

Microsoft Teams’ digital footprint seems even larger, as they reported over 280 million monthly users, planting their flag as the most popular business communication platform.