Lawsuit filed by dozens of employees says people who took maternity or disability leave were disproportionately selected for layoffs
Meta used AI to tag workers who took leave to be laid off, lawsuit claims
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jul/14/meta-ai-mass-layoffs-lawsuit
19 Comments
mycodesucks@lemmy.world · 52 pts · 40d
"Look, if I'd laid him off because he took sick leave, that would be illegal, but I didn't lay him off because he took sick leave, I laid him off because AI told me to lay him off. And AI is smart. You can't tell me it wasn't a good decision."
Repeat across the entire economy
"We don't need AI to be functional - we just need it to give us answers we want and convince enough people that it's giving those answers because it's better than us."
WanderingThoughts@europe.pub · 3 pts · 40d
Aren't people using AI responsible for anything the AI does these days? Legally you can't say AI said, legally it's you who said it.
Rothe@piefed.social · 11 pts · 40d
Everything is legal if you are a big corporation in the US. So yes, they can say that.
fizzle@quokk.au · 43 pts · 40d
This guy doesn't understand anything about humans doing tasks, or generative AI.
Archangel1313@lemmy.ca · 30 pts · 41d
Why would they even need AI for that?
cubism_pitta@lemmy.world · 38 pts · 41d
I think AI lets them wash their hands and play dumb.
Its ok to lay someone off for taking leave, so long as you didn't lay them off for taking leave 😉
ordnance_qf_17_pounder@reddthat.com · 17 pts · 41d
That's the thing with AI. It's being used where it doesn't need to be used so corporate execs can justify investment in it to shareholders.
lokalhorst@feddit.org · 6 pts · 40d
It's an ad for employers to use more AI
vane@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 40d
Because they use corporate HR software. Try use Workday or similar crap and you will know.
Archangel1313@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 40d
It's funny you mentioned that...we just switched to Workday at my job about a month ago. So far, nothing works properly. Everyone's hours have all been wrong, and no one can figure out why the system keeps fucking things up. It's actually pretty hilarious. You feed it simple, basic data...and it spits out garbage.
saltesc@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 40d
To avoid formulas too complex for the human mind, like,
=IF(LV_AMT > 0, "Shitcan", "Try something else")
rizzothesmall@sh.itjust.works · 11 pts · 41d
Feels like a simple data query would have sufficed, but ok
cecilkorik@piefed.ca · 1 pts · 39d
Hiring people who know how to do that is expensive. Hiring incompetent executives who know how to ask an AI is more expensive (but it benefits said executives, so they prefer this option).
USSEthernet@startrek.website · 9 pts · 40d
This is why when I look at employment and I'm told by employers that they have "unlimited" leave, I'm skeptical. Because the majority of those positions look down on people who take leave.
Eternal192@anarchist.nexus · 4 pts · 40d
So desperate to justify the unnecessary amount of money thrown away.
anarchy79@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 39d
This is all I need to know.
dregan@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 39d
I feel like you could just use SQL for that.
frustrated_phagocytosis@fedia.io · 1 pts · 39d
Then your compensation does not include said leave. The options are to work every day indefinitely or get fired for not showing up. Pretty sure that didn't come up during the job interviews.
notsure@fedia.io · 1 pts · 40d
,,,duh...