Meta employees sue over layoffs they say were driven by discriminatory AI selection systems

Former and current Meta employees are suing the company over allegedly discriminatory layoffs carried out by AI. According to a lawsuit filed in a federal court in California, Meta allegedly used internal AI systems to generate layoff lists when it cut 8,000 employees in May. The systems supposedly targeted employees with disabilities and those on protected medical, family, or parental leave at disproportionate rates. One plaintiff was notified just two days before giving birth, the complaint states. The selection criteria allegedly included performance ratings, productivity, work output, and measured AI usage.

A Meta spokesperson denied the allegations, saying that humans make all personnel decisions. The plaintiffs are seeking a preliminary injunction to keep their jobs until the arbitration is resolved.

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