Meta is facing legal action as a group of employees claims the company utilized artificial intelligence to select individuals for layoffs, adversely impacting those on maternity leave, medical leave, and employees with disabilities. The lawsuit, initiated in a federal court in California, accuses Meta of using AI-based performance ratings and employee activity data to decide on job cuts in a workforce reduction impacting around 8,000 employees earlier this year.
The complaint asserts that Meta employed internal AI systems to evaluate and rank employees rather than relying on managerial assessments, which allegedly failed to consider approved leave periods. As a result, employees who had taken family or medical leave, or received disability accommodations, were given lower performance scores, according to the plaintiffs. This includes a scientist who was informed of her dismissal just two days before her childbirth and an engineer whose performance rating purportedly fell due to his injury-related absence. A manager on medical leave also claims he was laid off shortly after he began his leave.
The lawsuit demands a halt to the layoffs while the case is underway, along with the reinstatement of affected employees, compensation for lost wages and benefits, and an independent review of Meta’s AI systems. Meta has refuted these allegations, asserting that decisions regarding workforce and organization are made by humans, not artificial intelligence systems.
The case highlights the growing concerns over the role of AI in workplace decision-making, with critics warning about potential biases against employees who take legally protected leave. The employees involved hope the court will intervene in what they perceive as an unfair use of AI technology that disregards the rights of workers on leave.