Did IBM embed age discrimination in its AI-driven job screening software?

Did IBM embed age discrimination in its AI-driven job screening software?

By Paul Flahive
Publication Date: 2026-05-29 10:00:00

The IBM campus in Austin is seen in January. The company is being sued in federal court by a former manager who says its AI-driven hiring software discriminates against older people.

Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman

IBM, the company best known for its now-defunct computer division and behind-the-scenes software that runs everything from airlines to credit card transactions has been plagued for years with allegations that it has been purging its workforce of older employees

Now, a lawsuit filed in federal court in Austin says it has gone even further, embedding an alleged bias into its hiring systems. 

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IBM’s ageist scheme had been programmed into its HR screening software,” Daniel Swanson says in the suit he filed in U.S. District Court.

He says he was fired after 24 years at IBM in Austin because he…