60 contractors for Facebook were fired at random after an algorithm selected them for termination.
Facebook contractors 'laid-off at random after being selected by algorithm' https://t.co/Dq1FyWioIz
— indy100 (@indy100) August 19, 2022
This is some serious dystopic shit here as other people have noted.
Dystopian as hell https://t.co/IlAvW4pfAI pic.twitter.com/d2rfIttCZa
— Casey Newton (@CaseyNewton) August 18, 2022
Turning decision making processes like this over to algorithms and machines is undoubtedly something we’ll see more of from companies. That way the workers can’t blame a specific person or a group of people for their termination. The algorithm or the AI involved with selecting them for termination is a convenient scapegoat for organizations.
I don’t think it is smart to be turning over this type of decision making to algorithms and machines though. I don’t think this technology is ready for this sort of function and one can only imagine the type of biases that have been programmed in this algorithm. There are also intangible things that an algorithm can’t evaluate about workers. Just the fact that Meta is doing this type of thing reinforces my belief that this company is heading into the abyss.
