Meta accused of using biased AI targeting for mass layoffs

Jul 15, 2026 12:18 AM - 2 hours ago 87

Emma Roth

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, user tech, crypto, societal media, and overmuch more. Previously, she was a writer and editor astatine MUO.

A group of 26 erstwhile Meta labor is suing the institution complete claims that it utilized AI devices to unfairly target workers connected time off pinch layoffs, arsenic reported earlier by Reuters. In the lawsuit, the labor allege Meta wished which workers to disregard based connected capacity information collected by a “constellation” of soul AI tools, but grounded to exclude those connected parental aliases aesculapian time off from its ranking system:

The consequence was that labor who took protected leaves were disproportionately selected for layoff, based connected scoring that not only grounded to relationship for their protected leaves, but successful effect penalized the labor for exercising their ineligible authorities to these leaves.

The layoffs mentioned successful the suit occurred successful May arsenic portion of Meta’s plans to slash 10 percent of its staff, aliases astir 8,000 workers. Meta’s erstwhile labor allege the institution utilized an soul AI assistant, called Metamate, employee-trained AI agents, soul dashboards displaying AI token usage, and different devices to “score, rank, and prime labor for inclusion connected the termination list.”

The suit accuses Meta of violating national and authorities laws preventing employers from terminating workers for taking protected leave. “These claims deficiency merit and are not based connected facts,” Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton tells The Verge. “Workforce guidance and organizational decisions were and are made by people, not AI.”

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