Meta Sued for Using AI in Layoffs Allegedly Causing Discrimination; Spokesperson Emphasizes Human Decision-Making

(Central News Agency reporter Cindy Chang, San Francisco, May 14) — On May 13, 26 former and current Meta employees filed a lawsuit in federal court, accusing Meta of using artificial intelligence (AI) to determine employee layoffs, with the process allegedly involving discrimination. Meta today firmly denied the allegations, emphasizing that decisions are made by humans.

According to U.S. media CNBC, lawyers representing the 26 unnamed employees submitted a complaint to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, stating that the plaintiffs were all employees laid off during Meta’s large-scale workforce reduction in May this year.

The plaintiffs, from six U.S. states and the District of Columbia, argue that Meta’s internal evaluation system—comprised of multiple AI systems—failed to account for employees’ approved legitimate leave when determining who to lay off.

The lawyers allege in the complaint that Meta uses metrics such as token (AI computational unit) usage to evaluate employees.

Under this system’s design, employees legally entitled to medical or family care leave, or those whose productivity has decreased due to physical or mental disabilities, would naturally see these metrics decline, resulting in unfavorable evaluations during layoffs.

The complaint references multiple AI tools, claiming that some tools track employees’ document and communication records, and accuses Meta of monitoring employees’ keyboard input, screen usage, and web browsing history, using this data to assign productivity scores.

A Meta spokesperson, in a statement responding to media inquiries, said, 'These allegations are baseless and factually incorrect. Past and present human resource and organizational decisions are made by people, not by AI.'

The report states that the plaintiffs are requesting the court to issue an injunction to reinstate their employment relationships pending an independent investigation and resolution of the dispute. (Editor: Chang Chih-hsuan) 1150715

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