Meta Employees Sue Over AI-Assisted Layoffs

A group of current and former Meta employees has filed a lawsuit claiming the company used AI tools in its latest layoffs in a discriminatory way. The complaint, filed in federal court in California on Monday, says the systems failed to properly account for approved leave and may have affected workers with pregnancies, disabilities, or other protected conditions. The 26 unnamed plaintiffs say they were among the roughly 10% of Meta employees cut in May. Their lawyers argue that internal AI systems relied on factors such as performance ratings, productivity metrics, and AI usage data that could disadvantage workers on medical or family leave, or employees whose output was reduced by a disability. Meta said the allegations are without merit and insisted that workforce decisions were made by people, not AI. The case comes as U.S. courts continue to examine how employers use artificial intelligence in hiring and job cuts, following a separate recent ruling involving Workday.