The Hidden Labor of Automation

Platform labor is mainly known from Uber and Just Eat Takeaway, but most platform workers work at home, behind their computers. This online platform work usually consists of short tasks, such as labelling images, to model artificial intelligence. Who are these online platform workers, why do they do this work, and what are their working conditions? On May 6th, in her inaugural lecture "The Hidden Labor of Automation", Prof. Claartje ter Hoeven, professor of 'Organisational Dynamics in the Digital Society' at Erasmus University Rotterdam, will discuss the work and working conditions of online platform workers. Crowd work, cloud work, microwork and ghost work are just some of the names used to describe online platform work. The supply of this work is growing rapidly and is largely invisible. These online workers are managed by algorithms and have no supervisors or colleagues to talk to. They, therefore, receive no feedback, except whether or not their work is 'accepted' by an anonymous client.