(Photo by iStock/kitiwan mesinsom)
The way we work is changing rapidly and is impacted daily by technological advances. If designed and harnessed responsibly, technology can help us reimagine how we work, where we work, and what work we do. However, when designed poorly, tech can harm workers and exacerbate inequalities. SSIR’s 2023 Data on Purpose conference, Making Tech Work for Workers, will happen online May 2-3 and feature many of the worker organizations leading the movement to build a more just and equitable economy in conversation with some of the sharpest minds in academia, civil society, and the public and private sectors. (Register now for complimentary access)
This reading list explores topics related to each session of the conference, including generative AI, regulations to protect workers, the transition to a gig economy, sharing power and data with workers, and more.
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DAY 1: May 2, 2023
How Tech Meets Work
Speakers: In this opening session moderated by Nabiha Syed of The Markup, Anita Gurumurthy of IT for Change, Christy Hoffman of UniGlobal Union, and Simon Johnson of MIT Sloan School of Management will explore how tech is impacting workers and exacerbating inequities in the United States and globally.
- Tech hubs are expensive, but (mostly) worth it, research finds (report on a working paper by Simon Johnson and Jonathan Gruber)
- The Deal We Always Wanted: A Feminist Action Framework for the Digital Economy by Anita Gurumurthy and Nandini Chami
- Economists Pin More Blame on Tech for Rising Inequality (The New York Times)
- More Than 50 U.S. Gig Workers Murdered on the Job in Five Years (The Markup)
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Generative AI: The Untold Story
Speakers: Martha Dark of Foxglove Legal and Asmelash Teka of Lesan AI will discuss what responsible development of AI that serves workers can look like.
- An interview with Foxglove’s Martha Dark
- Workplace AI Wants to Help You Belong by Genevieve Smith & Ishita Rustagi
- Facebook slammed in court for trying to dodge Kenyan whistleblower’s lawsuit (openDemocracy)
- AI Ethics Are in Danger. Funding Independent Research Could Help by Dylan Baker & Alex Hanna
Case Study: Driver’s Seat Cooperative–When Workers Lead Innovation
Learn how Driver’s Seat Cooperative is giving power back to rideshare drivers by democratizing data. Hays Witt of Driver’s Seat Cooperative, Nicole Moore of Rideshare Drivers United, and Kaiton Williams of Impact America Fund will discuss the impact of the app on workers.
- For Ride-Hailing Drivers, Data Is Power (Bloomberg)
- Seize the Future by Harnessing the Power of Data by Kriss Deiglmeier
The Tech We Get Is the Tech In Which We Invest
Speakers: Sushant Kumar of Omidyar Network and Lexi Reese of General Catalyst will explore what it means for funders to make workers central to their decision-making.
- Funding Data and AI That Serve the Social Sector by Jake Porway
- How Funders Can Help Fill Critical Gaps in Technology for Social Good by Katy Knight & Laura Maher
Register for Data on Purpose: Complimentary Access
DAY 2: May 2, 2023
The Gig Economy and the End of Employment
Speakers: Anup Kaphle of Rest of World will moderate a panel with Maria Noel Fernandez of Gig Workers Rising, David Weil of Brandeis University, and Biju Mathew of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance discussing how to create high-quality jobs and working conditions in the gig economy.
- National survey of gig workers paints a picture of poor working conditions, low pay (a report from the Economic Policy Institute)
- We asked dozens of Indian gig workers about their future. They see none (Rest of World)
- The Fissured Workplace by David Weil
Bossware Is Coming For You
Speakers: Ryan Gerety of the Athena Coalition, Nzingha Hooker of National Black Worker Center, Brian Callaci of the Open Market Institute, and Wilneida Negron of Coworker will unpack the rise of bossware and highlight different ways that tech affects workers on and off the job.
- Digital Scab, Digital Snitch by Brian Callaci (Phenomenal World)
- Chinese Food-Delivery Workers, Unite! by Chana R. Schoenberger (Subscriber-only article. Subscribe to SSIR here.)
- What to Do When Your Boss Is Spying on You (WIRED)
- Public Interest Tech Has a Pipeline Problem by Lyel Resner & Wilneida Negron
Case Study: The Worker Voice Design Lab–What Companies Can Learn by Listening
Learn how the Worker Voice Design Lab, created in partnership by IDEO and the Ford Foundation, harnesses the power of worker-centered design practices to optimize business operations across even the most complex sectors. Becky Lee of IDEO and Lisa Dewey-Mattia of The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey will discuss with SSIR editor, Bryan Maygers.
- Experts on the Frontlines (IDEO and Ford Foundation)
- Excerpt from The Smart Nonprofit: Staying Human-Centered in an Automated World by Allison Fine & Beth Kanter
- Excerpt from Convergence: Technology, Business, and the Human-Centric Future by Deborah Westphal
Building Digital Guardrails That Serve Workers
Speakers: Meera Joshi, New York City Deputy Mayor for Operations, and Kavita Dattani of Fairwork Project will discuss the rules and regulations needed to protect workers now and in the future.
- Data and Algorithms at Work: The Case for Worker Technology Rights (a report from UC Berkeley Labor Center)
- The Right to Disconnect by members of the International Network on Technology, Work, and Family at the School of Management at the University of Quebec in Montreal (Subscriber-only article. Subscribe to SSIR here.)
- Tech Inclusion for Excluded Communities by Linda Jakob Sadeh & Smadar Nehab (Subscriber-only article. Subscribe to SSIR here.)
A Vision for the Future
Speakers: Amanda Ballantyne of the AFL-CIO, Roy Bahat of Bloomberg Beta, and Ritse Erumi of the Ford Foundation will offer suggestions for how to ensure technological innovation is a force for liberation.
- Workplace Power by Andrea Dehlendorf & Michelle Miller
- Platform Power to the People by Sanjay Pinto & Beth Gutelius (Subscriber-only article. Subscribe to SSIR here.)
- Co-Powering an Emergent Horizon by Michelle Shevin, Aasim Shabazz & Marika Pfefferkorn
- “Unions Are Often Necessary. And Sometimes Wonderful.” An interview with Roy Bahat
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