Meta is under legal scrutiny as a group of employees has filed a lawsuit alleging that the company used artificial intelligence systems to unfairly select workers for layoffs. The lawsuit, lodged in a California federal court, claims that these layoffs disproportionately impacted workers on maternity leave, medical leave, and those with disabilities. The affected employees argue that AI-driven performance ratings and productivity metrics were used over traditional managerial evaluations, leading to biased outcomes in a workforce reduction that saw approximately 8,000 employees lose their jobs earlier this year.
The complaint highlights concerns that Meta’s internal AI systems failed to properly account for employees’ approved leave periods. This oversight allegedly resulted in lower performance scores for those who had taken family or medical leave or who had secured disability accommodations. Among the plaintiffs is a scientist who was dismissed just two days before the birth of her child, an engineer whose performance rating reportedly suffered due to an injury-related absence, and a manager who claims he was laid off shortly after commencing medical leave.
In response to these allegations, the employees are seeking a court injunction to pause the layoffs while the legal proceedings continue. Their demands also include reinstatement to their positions, compensation for lost wages and benefits, and a comprehensive audit of Meta’s AI systems to address potential biases.
Meta has denied these accusations, maintaining that decisions regarding workforce and organizational changes are ultimately made by people rather than AI systems. This case emerges amid increasing concern about the role of artificial intelligence in workplace decision-making, with critics cautioning that such automated systems may inadvertently introduce biases against employees who utilize legally protected leave.