Meta sued over alleged use of AI to target employees on leave in layoffs

A group of 26 former Meta employees has filed a lawsuit alleging the company used internal AI tools to rank workers for layoffs without excluding those on protected leave. The employees claim Meta’s AI systems, including an internal AI assistant called Metamate and employee-trained agents, scored and ranked performance data to determine which workers to dismiss. According to the lawsuit, the AI tools failed to account for employees on medical or parental leave, resulting in their disproportionate selection for termination. The layoffs in question occurred in May as part of Meta’s plan to reduce its workforce by 10 percent, or approximately 8,000 employees.

Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton stated in response that the claims 'lack merit' and that workforce decisions were made by people, not AI. The lawsuit accuses Meta of violating federal and state laws that prohibit terminating workers for taking protected leave.