Binge Thinking: AI is Nothing Without Us - the Hidden Labor Behind Big Tech

Welcome to Binge Thinking! We host professors and experts at local pubs to give talks on fascinating topics.

Topic: AI is Nothing Without Us: Who does the work that makes AI "work"?

Speaker: Dr. Mary L. Gray (Microsoft Research, Harvard University, Indiana University | MacArthur Fellow | Author of Ghost Work)

AI might look automated, but it runs on human work — often invisible, underpaid, and taken for granted. Behind every chatbot, recommendation engine, and content feed, there are real people doing real work: labeling data, moderating content, filling in the gaps where automation falls short. It's called "ghost work," and an estimated 8% of Americans have done it at least once. In this talk, Dr. Gray will explore why AI needs people, what that hidden labor actually looks like, and what it would take (through design, policy, and new standards) to build technology that treats its workers as essential rather than disposable.

Dr. Gray is a Senior Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research and a Faculty Associate at Harvard University's Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society. In 2020, she was named a MacArthur Fellow (commonly known as a "genius grant") for her contributions to anthropology and the study of technology, digital economies, and society. Her book Ghost Work: How to Stop Silicon Valley from Building a New Global Underclass was named a Financial Times Critic's Pick and has been called "a must-read for anyone interested in the future of work." She earned her PhD in Communication from the University of California at San Diego.

Don't miss this opportunity to look behind the curtain of AI and meet one of the leading voices on the future of work.

Agenda
7:00 PM – Doors open: find a seat and order some drinks.
7:30 PM – Host introduction
7:35 PM – Lecture begins
8:15 PM – Audience Q&A
8:30–9:00 PM – Feel free to mingle with the speaker and fellow guests. Grab a final round of drinks!

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