Summary

On October 6-9, 2020, students, practitioners, and leaders from business, civil society and academia came together virtually for the fourth annual Berkeley Haas-Microsoft Conference on Business, Technology, and Human Rights. Focused on the Future of Workers, the conference built on the themes introduced two years ago in the 2018 conference on the Future of Work. Reframing the issue to focus specifically on workers, attendees examined the impact of technology on the lives and rights of workers around the world. Participants explored potential solutions for using technology in ways that will empower workers and discussed how different sectors can work to create a more inclusive economy for all workers in the age of AI and automation. The goal of the conference was to build a more nuanced understanding of the risks and opportunities that technological innovation poses for workers. In the context of COVID-19 and the increasingly exposed gaps in social justice and equality, participants discussed practical ideas and potential solutions to build a more inclusive economy for all workers.