Meta Denies AI Use in Layoffs, Citing Human Decision-Making and Objective Criteria

Meta Platforms has denied allegations that artificial intelligence was used to select employees for recent layoffs, countering claims made in a lawsuit. The company asserted that layoff decisions were made by human business leaders and were based on objective criteria, not AI.

In a court filing, Linh Doan, a director of HR Business Partner Enablement at Meta, stated that the criteria for layoffs did not include factors such as leave status, disability, or accommodation requests. Instead, she explained, Meta first identified organizational units and employee cohorts (defined by level and title) slated for reductions before establishing business rationales and objective selection criteria for those groups.

The lawsuit alleges that AI tools and performance dashboards, which may track AI usage, disproportionately impacted employees who were on leave or had disabilities. Plaintiffs claim these tools influenced their selection for termination, citing internal reports that suggested AI adoption was a core assessment metric.

Doan emphasized that decision-makers could not deviate from the pre-defined selection criteria, which could include performance ratings, job profile, tenure, specialized skills, and organizational structure. The company maintains a high-performance culture, and low performance ratings were cited as a key factor in some terminations, including for employees on leave.

The legal challenge highlights concerns about how AI adoption metrics might inadvertently penalize employees, especially those with protected characteristics, even if AI isn't directly used for layoff decisions. Previous cases have shown potential repercussions for employees returning from leave, with some companies facing scrutiny over performance review practices.