Current, former employees sue Meta re: discrimination via AI to conduct layoffs (www.cnbc.com)

A group of current and former employees has filed a lawsuit against Meta, claiming the company employed artificial intelligence in a discriminatory manner during its recent layoffs. The lawsuit, filed in California, alleges that Meta's "constellation of internal artificial intelligence systems" overlooked approved medical and family leave when determining which employees to terminate. This led to accusations that the AI-driven decisions unjustly targeted workers based on metrics like performance ratings, which fail to consider those on leave due to disabilities or pregnancy. This legal action is significant as it highlights growing concerns within the AI/ML community regarding the implications of algorithm-driven decisions in workforce management. It follows a similar ruling against Workday for its AI hiring practices, suggesting a mounting scrutiny on how AI tools are utilized in employment contexts. The plaintiffs seek a preliminary injunction to maintain their employment status until a thorough audit of Meta's algorithms can be conducted, raising critical questions about the fairness and transparency of AI systems in personnel decisions and their compliance with anti-discrimination laws. Meta has stated that human oversight, not AI, drives workforce management decisions, countering the claims of the lawsuit.