Meta is accused of using biased AI targeting to mass layoffs

A group of 26 former Meta employees has filed a lawsuit against the company over allegations that it used artificial intelligence tools to unfairly target workers for furlough with layoffs, as I mentioned it earlier before Reuters. in The lawsuitThe employees allege that Meta identified which workers to fire based on performance data collected by a “constellation” of internal AI tools, but failed to exclude those on paternity or medical leave from its classification system:

The result was that employees who received protected leave were disproportionately selected for layoff, based on a scoring that not only failed to account for their protected leave, but actually penalized employees for exercising their legal rights to such leave.

The layoffs mentioned in the lawsuit occurred in May as part of Meta’s downsizing plans 10 percent of its employeesOr about 8,000 workers. Former Meta employees claim the company used an in-house AI assistant, It is called MetamatiAI agents trained by employees, internal dashboards displaying the use of AI codes, and other tools to “enroll, classify, and select employees for termination.”

The lawsuit accuses Meta of violating federal and state laws that prohibit employers from terminating workers for taking protected leave. “These allegations lack merit and are not based on facts,” says Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton. Edge. “Workforce management and organizational decisions were and continue to be made by people, not artificial intelligence.”