Meta Sued For Allegedly Using Discriminatory AI In Layoff Decisions
Meta Sued For Allegedly Using Discriminatory AI In Layoff Decisions
https://gizmodo.com/meta-sued-for-allegedly-using-discriminatory-ai-in-layoff-decisions-2000785427
Publish Date: 2026-07-14 20:38:00
Source Domain: gizmodo.com
- Meta conducted layoffs in May affecting 8,000 employees, or 10% of its workforce, driven by plans to invest heavily in artificial intelligence.
- A group of 26 anonymous Meta employees alleged that AI-powered systems were used to determine which employees were laid off.
- The lawsuit claims the AI systems were inherently discriminatory, particularly targeting employees who were on protected medical or family leave.
- Meta allegedly did not address or correct discovered biases in its AI systems when it was made aware, resulting in disproportionate layoff of protected leave employees.
- Employees who were laid off are seeking to block the remaining layoff process until they can pursue claims through private arbitration.
- Meta denies the allegations of discriminatory layoff practices, stating that workforce decisions were made by people, not AI.
- This lawsuit follows a similar case from earlier this year where a whistleblower claimed older workers were disproportionately laid off.