In this closing session of SNFL's fall series with Data & Society, D&S Labor Futures Program Director Aiha Nguyen leads a panel of esteemed researchers in conversation about the value of human labor in increasingly automated workplaces.

This event will take place online and in person at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library on the 7th Floor.

Generative AI models are marketed as the next revolution in workplace automation, but they ultimately rely on human labor — from the people labeling content and checking outputs, to the content creators and workers whose data are extracted to build the systems. As management and organizational leaders adopt AI across workplaces, the use of these systems raises questions about how companies are reshaping the quality of work, job security, and the value of human labor. How are workers’ lives impacted when AI is used to monitor performance, surveil output, or make intrusive management decisions? Will AI disrupt industries and business models? How can we make sure technology supports workers, rather than undermining them?

To join the event in person | Doors will open 30 minutes before the program begins. For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. All registered seats are released shortly before start time, and seats may become available at that time. A standby line will form 30 minutes before the program.

To join the event online | Whether you're attending in person or online, you must register with your email address.The Zoom link will be sent to you by email approximately one day before the event. You will need a device with audio and/or video and an internet/cellular connection to join.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Aiha Nguyen leads Data & Society’s Labor Futures program, guiding research and engagement that interrogates how technology is disrupting, destabilizing, and transforming many aspects of work and employment. She is author of The Constant Boss: Work Under Digital Surveillance and co-author of Generative AI & Labor: Power, Hype and Value at Work. Prior to joining Data & Society, Aiha worked for a grassroots worker justice organization in Los Angeles.

Amba Kak has spent the last fifteen years designing and advocating for technology policy in the public interest, ranging from network neutrality to privacy to algorithmic accountability, across government, industry, and civil society — and in many parts of the world. She brings this experience to her role co-leading AI Now, a US-based research institute where she leads on advancing diagnosis and actionable policy recommendations to tackle concerns with artificial intelligence and concentrated power.

Michelle Miller is the Director of Innovation for the Center for Labor and a Just Economy at Harvard Law School, where she researches the impact of artificial intelligence and automated software on working women. She joined the Center after a decade as the co-founder and co-director of Coworker, an organization that provides early-stage support to worker-led organizing efforts. Her research and organizing work emphasizes the imaginative capacity, joy, and solidarity of working class life.

Sam Wheeler is the Executive Director of Writers Guild of America East (WGAE). From 2022-2024 he served as the national Executive Director of the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA). Earlier, he was an attorney at Cohen, Weiss, and Simon LLP, where he represented both private and public sector unions.

ACCESSIBILITY NOTES

In-Person

• Assistive listening devices and/or hearing loops are available at the venue.


• You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) captioning service by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.


• This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs.

Livestream

• Captions and a transcript will be provided.


• You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail templateaccessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.

CONNECT WITH US

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SUPPORT THE LIBRARY

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Understanding AI is a collaboration with Data & Society, an independent nonprofit research and policy institute. Data & Society studies the social, political, and economic implications of data-centric technologies, automation, and AI, and uses that knowledge to inform and shape policy from the ground up. Learn more at datasociety.net.

All programs are subject to change or cancellation. All programs are subject to recording and photography. The 7 Stories Up Series at SNFL is made possible by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).