Meta Sued Over Alleged AI Discrimination in Layoffs
Current and former Meta employees have filed a lawsuit alleging the company used artificial intelligence in its recent layoffs in a discriminatory manner. The plaintiffs claim Meta's AI systems failed to account for approved absences when identifying employees for termination.
A group of current and former employees has sued Meta Platforms, alleging the social media company discriminated against workers during its latest round of layoffs by using artificial intelligence. The lawsuit, filed in California, claims that Meta's AI systems failed to take approved absences, such as medical or family leave, into account when determining which employees to terminate.
The plaintiffs allege that Meta's AI tools utilized metrics like performance ratings, calibration scores, and "AI-token" consumption in a way that led to discrimination. According to the employees' attorneys, these metrics cannot be accumulated by an employee on protected medical or family leave, or whose output is reduced by a disability. This allegedly resulted in unfair treatment for certain employees, particularly those who were on leave.
Meta has denied the allegations. A company spokesperson stated that "workforce management and organizational decisions were and are made by people, not AI." The statement further asserted that "the claims lack merit and are not based on facts."
The lawsuit highlights growing concerns about the impact of AI on employment and worker rights, particularly for individuals with disabilities or those taking protected leave. This case emerges shortly after a separate legal ruling where tech firm Workday faced allegations concerning AI bias in hiring decisions, underscoring the ongoing scrutiny of AI's ethical deployment in the workplace.