The internet and inequality have a complex relationship: some parts of the internet reduce inequality, while others amplify existing inequalities and create new ones. Even access to the internet itself is beset by inequality, be that by digital exclusion on the basis of age or wealth, or by persistent unavailability of the internet in parts of the Global South.
Our research critically assesses these inequalities and the structures they emerge from. OII projects consider inequality of all sorts, from that based on gender, to that based on geographic location.
By James Muldoon, Mark Graham, Callum Cant.
AI is an extraction machine that feeds off humanity's collective effort and intelligence, churning through ever-larger datasets to power its algorithms. This book details what we need to do to fight for a more just digital future.
This project aims to understand the ways in which algorithmic bias can stand as evidence of existing inequalities, with the aim of informing policy interventions to tackle the social causes of these disparities.
Based on a case-study analysis of bias in the Chicago Crime Prediction Algorithm, this project explores the extent to which evidence of algorithmic bias can be used to guide policy responses to the societal disparities replicated in these tools.
This project seeks to apply the principles of AI for Fair Work, by using these as a benchmark for empirical on workers’ experiences of the implementation of AI systems in the workplace.
By Julia Slupska, Scarlet Dawson Duckworth, Gina Neff, Nayana Prakash, Selina Cho, Linda Ma, Laura Shepherd, Hayyu Imanda, Hubert Au, Antonella Perini, and Romy Minko
The discourse around cybersecurity can often seem academic and exclusive. The Reconfigure project aims to build a feminist alternative and this report sets out findings from a pilot study applying “action research” methods to cybersecurity questions.
2 July 2024
Fairwork researchers propose recommendations for the incoming government, to provide a foundation for fairer and more sustainable platform work in the UK.
16 April 2024
The OII and the OSGA have appointed Dr Janaki Srinivasan to a joint post as Associate Professor in Digital South Asian Studies.
8 March 2024
As we mark International Women’s Day, Professor Ekaterina Hertog, spoke to us about AI, the automation in the home and the impact of such technologies on women in the workplace and wider society.
12 December 2023
Fairwork researchers help to improve employment conditions for AI workers through launch of new report into working practices for internet workers.
Business Insider, 23 July 2024
Elon Musk might be a full-blown Donald Trump crusader now, but that still didn't stop Joe Biden from turning to the billionaire's social media platform to make one of the biggest announcements in his career.
Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2024
From a labor perspective, AI is really an “extraction machine.” Beneath the polished exterior of our devices lies the complex network of components and relationships necessary to power it.
The Guardian, 07 July 2024
The Fairwork trio talk about their new book on the ‘extraction machine’, exposing the repetitive labour, often in terrible conditions, that big tech is using to create artificial intelligence.
