Michael Bernstein

Date: 18 January 2021

Time: 16:00 (CET)

Title: Computation and Organizations

Abstract: The future of work is increasingly computational, raising both the possibility of dramatically new forms of organization and the specter of algorithmic worker disenfranchisement. In this talk, I chart both paths. I will describe techniques that articulate a future of "experts in a click", including organizations that fluidly assemble and continuously adapt their efforts. I will then turn to the negative implications of this future, ranging from algorithmic wage theft to systematic disempowerment of workers, and describe techniques we have developed to steer away from those negative outcomes, including platforms for worker collective action, mentorship, and fair wage guarantees. Noting the limits of each of these systems in effecting change, I will lay out the paths that I see in front of us at the intersection of technology and policy.

Speaker Biography: Michael Bernstein is an Associate Professor of Computer Science and STMicroelectronics Faculty Scholar at Stanford University, where he is a member of the Human-Computer Interaction group. His research focuses on the design of social computing and crowdsourcing systems. Michael has received eight best paper awards at premier computing venues, and he has been recognized with an NSF CAREER award and an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship. Michael holds a bachelor's degree in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University, as well as a master's degree and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from MIT.

Homepage: https://hci.stanford.edu/msb/