Meta is currently facing legal action from a group of employees who allege that the company used artificial intelligence systems to choose which workers would be laid off. The lawsuit claims that this practice disproportionately impacted employees who were on maternity leave, medical leave, or had disabilities. Filed in a federal court in California, the lawsuit asserts that Meta employed AI-driven performance ratings and employee activity data, such as productivity metrics, to determine which employees would be affected by a workforce reduction that saw around 8,000 staff members lose their jobs earlier this year.
According to the lawsuit, Meta’s internal AI systems were used to rank and score employees, bypassing traditional evaluations by managers. The plaintiffs argue that these AI systems did not adequately consider approved leave periods, leading to unfairly low performance scores for those who had taken family or medical leave or who had received disability accommodations. Among the claimants is a scientist who was notified of her termination just two days before she was due to give birth. An engineer recovering from an injury also stated that his performance rating suffered due to his absence, and a manager who had recently started medical leave alleges he was laid off shortly thereafter.
The employees involved in the lawsuit are seeking a court order to suspend the layoffs as the legal proceedings unfold. They are also demanding their reinstatement, compensation for lost wages and benefits, and an independent audit of the AI systems used by Meta. The case highlights growing concerns over the role of artificial intelligence in workplace decision-making. Critics argue that automated systems could introduce biases, particularly against employees who take legally protected leave.
Meta has denied the allegations, maintaining that decisions regarding workforce and organizational changes are made by human managers, not by artificial intelligence systems. The ongoing lawsuit underscores the broader debate about the implications of using AI in employment practices, especially as it pertains to fairness and bias.