Meta used AI to tag workers who took leave to be laid off, lawsuit claims | Technology
Meta used AI to tag workers who took leave to be laid off, lawsuit claims | Technology
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jul/14/meta-ai-mass-layoffs-lawsuit
Publish Date: 2026-07-14 19:36:00
Source Domain: www.theguardian.com
Dozens of Meta employees have sued the social media company over claims that it used artificial intelligence tools to tag workers for mass layoffs. All of these workers allege that those AI tools targeted them after they asked for protected or maternity leave or disability accommodation.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in the northern district of California, points to Meta’s workforce reduction of about 8,000 employees earlier this year. Meta is the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The suit alleges that Meta used a “constellation of internal artificial intelligence systems”, including AI performance ratings and keystroke- and activity-monitoring data, to pinpoint who to lay off.
“Meta did not assemble the termination list through the considered judgment of managers who knew the work,” reads the 71-page complaint. Instead, the 26 workers listed in the lawsuit allege the company used AI systems “to score, rank and select employees for inclusion on the list”.
The plaintiffs are seeking a preliminary court ruling to stop Meta from finalizing the layoffs while they pursue their claims, along with relief that could include reinstatement, back pay, lost equity, benefits and other damages.
AI decision-making in the workplace is becoming an increasingly fraught issue as employees raise concerns around bias, privacy and trust, and regulators are scrutinizing the legality of such tools. States, including California, Colorado and Illinois, have passed laws or regulations within the last couple of years seeking to protect workers from AI-related bias and “automated decision systems”.
The lawsuit against Meta alleges that the company’s AI tools gather data on employees’ performance rankings, productivity and other metrics, and that those inputs don’t exist when workers are on medical or family leave. For people with disabilities, those metrics might be reduced.
“The result was that employees who took protected leaves were…
