These workers say an AI hiring platform discriminated against them. But who should pay?

The request marks a pivotal ​moment in the closely watched litigation, which stems from a Black plaintiff's claim that he was turned down from every job he applied for – more than 100 in total – with ‌companies that used Workday's AI hiring tools.

While stories of AI agents breaking programming guardrails have dominated recent headlines, this suit stems from older technology that predates the current generative AI boom.

“We do not contend that the AI ‘went rogue,’” plaintiffs’ counsel Rod Cooks of Birmingham, Alabama-based Winston Cooks said via email. “Our concern is that the opposite may be true: an AI system can operate exactly as designed and trained while perpetuating patterns of past discrimination.”

Pleasanton, California-based Workday denies wrongdoing. A spokesperson said the company’s AI tools “only look at ​job qualifications—not protected traits like race, age, or disability,” adding that the plaintiffs “have not, and cannot, meet their burden to proceed as a class.”

Read more on the original article : https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/these-workers-say-an-ai-hiring-platform-discriminated-against-them-who-should-2026-09-21/