Meta has ended a major contract with AI training firm Sama, impacting 1,108 workers in Kenya. The tech giant stated Sama did not meet its standards. Sama strongly rejects this criticism. This decision comes after Sama's employees alleged they viewed explicit content from Meta's smart glasses.
In February, workers at Sama told Swedish newspapers they saw users of Meta's smart glasses engaged in private activities. These included going to the toilet and having sex. Less than two months later, Meta cancelled its agreement with Sama. The outsourcing firm, Sama, which began as a non-profit, believes Meta's decision was a direct result of staff voicing these concerns. Meta has not directly addressed this claim. They stated to the BBC that they decided to end their work with Sama because the company did not meet their standards.
This situation raises significant questions for Ghana's growing digital economy and its participation in global tech supply chains. The practice of human review for AI training is common. Companies use it to improve products and customer experiences. Meta previously admitted that subcontracted workers might see content from its smart glasses. This is done to improve its AI. However, the revelations have spurred regulatory action. In the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office has written to Meta about these reports. Kenya's data protection regulator has also launched an investigation.
Meta has been expanding its AI capabilities, including through its range of smart glasses. These glasses, made in partnership with brands like Ray-Ban, offer features such as text translation and visual assistance. However, the growing use of these devices also fuels concerns about potential misuse and privacy violations. The workers in question were data annotators. They manually labelled content to help Meta's AI understand images. They also reviewed AI conversations to ensure accuracy. One worker reported seeing a man's glasses left recording in a bedroom where his wife later undressed.
Sama has defended its record. It stated that it consistently met all operational, security, and quality requirements for its clients, including Meta. Sama also said it was never notified of any failure to meet these standards. Naftali Wambalo of the Africa Tech Workers Movement suggests Meta's stated standards relate to secrecy. He believes Meta wants to avoid workers speaking out about human content review. Mercy Mutemi, a lawyer representing affected workers, views Meta's statement as a warning. She told the BBC that Ghana is building its AI industry on a "flimsy foundation" if such practices are common.