Meta Platforms Inc. is currently entangled in a legal battle initiated by a group of employees who allege the company unjustly targeted them for layoffs by employing artificial intelligence systems. The lawsuit accuses Meta of disproportionately selecting employees on maternity leave, medical leave, or with disabilities for job cuts, claiming that the AI systems used in these decisions unfairly impacted these groups.
Filed in a California federal court, the lawsuit asserts that Meta implemented AI-driven performance evaluations combined with employee activity metrics to decide who would be laid off during a workforce reduction earlier this year that affected roughly 8,000 employees. Plaintiffs argue that the automated assessments overlooked periods of approved leave, leading to skewed performance evaluations for those who had taken family or medical leave or were accommodated for disabilities.
The case highlights several personal stories, including that of a scientist who was dismissed just two days before she was due to give birth. Another involved an engineer who saw his performance ratings drop due to time off needed for recovery from an injury. Additionally, a manager claims he was laid off shortly after starting his medical leave. These employees are now seeking a court injunction to stop further layoffs while the litigation is ongoing. They are also asking for reinstatement, back pay, and benefits, as well as an independent review of Meta’s AI systems.
Meta has refuted the accusations, emphasizing that decisions regarding workforce reductions are made by human managers, not AI systems. The company maintains that its processes are not as reliant on artificial intelligence as the lawsuit suggests.
This legal action arrives as debates intensify about the role of AI in workplace management. Critics are increasingly concerned that reliance on automated systems could introduce biases, particularly against those employees who utilize their legally protected rights to take leave. The outcome of this lawsuit could have significant implications for how companies integrate AI into human resources practices.