At Meta, Taking Medical/Maternity Leave and Getting Laid Off by AI in the Blink of an Eye??
In the U.S., 26 current and former Meta employees have filed a lawsuit, alleging the company used an AI system to disproportionately select employees on legally protected leave—such as medical, parental, or disability accommodation—for recent layoffs. The 71-page complaint details cases where individuals, including one who received her termination email while on approved prenatal leave just days before giving birth, were reportedly chosen by an algorithmic "constellation" of tools. This system, which included performance metrics, activity monitoring, and AI usage dashboards, allegedly failed to account for periods of approved absence, interpreting leave as low productivity. Despite Meta's record revenue and massive planned AI investments, it announced layoffs affecting roughly 10% of its workforce. The plaintiffs seek a preliminary injunction to halt the layoffs and an independent audit of the AI selection process. Meta has denied the claims, stating personnel decisions are made by humans, not AI.
marsbit07/15 11:40
