A group of Meta employees has initiated legal action against the company, asserting that its use of artificial intelligence systems for workforce reduction unfairly targeted those on maternity leave, medical leave, and employees with disabilities. The lawsuit, which has been filed in a federal court in California, claims that AI-driven performance evaluations and data on employee activity, such as productivity metrics, were used to determine which employees would be laid off in a recent round of job cuts affecting approximately 8,000 people.
The complaint alleges that instead of human assessments by managers, Meta utilized internal AI systems to score and rank employees. This approach, according to the plaintiffs, overlooked periods of approved leave, leading to diminished performance scores for individuals who had taken family or medical leave or required disability accommodations. Among those involved in the lawsuit is a scientist who received notice of termination just two days before her due date, as well as an engineer whose performance rating reportedly suffered due to an injury-related absence. A manager on medical leave also contends that he was dismissed shortly after beginning his leave.
The employees involved in the case are seeking a court order to pause the layoffs while the legal proceedings are ongoing. They are also pushing for reinstatement, financial compensation for lost wages and benefits, and an independent review of Meta’s AI systems to ensure fairness and accuracy in their application.
Meta has refuted the allegations, maintaining that decisions about workforce restructuring are made by humans, not artificial intelligence. As the lawsuit unfolds, it highlights increasing concerns regarding the integration of AI in workplace decision-making processes, with critics cautioning that such automated systems may inadvertently introduce bias against employees who take legally protected leave.