The Human Rights and Business Initiative at Berkeley-Haas is pleased to partner with the Microsoft Technology and Human Rights Center to convene its Annual Conference on Technology, Business and Human Rights. In line with its 2020 Vision for Human Rights, Microsoft seeks to demonstrate leadership in business and human rights, frame the debate about technology and human rights, and catalyze action by other companies— in the technology sector and beyond.
2020 Conference
The Future of Work(ers): Using Technology to Empower Workers in the Age of AI and Automation
The 2020 conference will be held from October 6-8, 2020, rescheduled from March 2020 due to COVID-19. It will explore the role that companies and technology innovation can play in empowering workers in the digital age. We will hear from leaders and experts about the risks and unintended consequences of AI and automation on workers, but also the positive role that technology can play in empowering workers around the world. To adjust the conference to the new virtual format, we will run six sessions across three days.
2019 Conference
Artificial Intelligence for Social Impact
The 2019 conference was held on March 7, 2019, at the Haas School of Business and focused on the role and responsibility of business to scale artificial intelligence (AI) for social impact. From tackling large-scale global challenges, such as poverty, education, and disease, to addressing local issues that disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, the 2019 conference explored questions, such as: How will business develop, use, and scale AI to address local and global challenges? How will business scale AI in a responsible way that does not infringe on human rights? How will business, in collaboration with key stakeholders, adequately measure the positive impact of AI?
2018 Conference
The Future of Work
The 2018 conference was held on March 21, 2018, at the Haas School of Business and focused on the Future of Work, an emerging area in the field of business and human rights that is relevant to virtually all industries and highlights the role of technology as both a source of risk and opportunity as the labor market evolves. Human rights and technology experts from business, academia, civil society, and government explored questions on the Future of Work, such as: How will automation impact the creation and nature of jobs and change demand for certain skills? How will technology mitigate risks and maximize opportunities related to the expected disruptions of labor markets? How can private and public sector interventions begin to address the adverse impacts of these expected disruptions of labor markets?
2017 Conference
Big Data and Artificial Intelligence: The Human Rights Dimension for Business
The 2017 conference was a full- day event of engaging dialogue held on February 23rd at the UC Berkeley Campus. Through panel discussions and breakout sessions, corporate practitioners as well as human rights and AI experts from academia, civil society, and government explored questions such as: What are the human rights implications of big data, algorithmic decision-making and artificial intelligence? How can big data and AI help create practical solutions to human rights challenges? How should companies develop and use big data and AI responsibly?
Post Event Summaries
Sponsors
Human Rights and Business Initiative at UC Berkeley
The mission of the Human Rights and Business Initiative is to equip current and future business leaders with the attitude and aptitude to work constructively with business to ensure respect for human rights. Established as a joint initiative between Berkeley Law’s Human Rights Center and the Center for Responsible Business at Berkeley Haas, we leverage UC Berkeley’s world-class institutions to pursue a vision of a world where all companies respect human rights.
The Microsoft Technology and Human Rights Center
Microsoft’s Technology and Human Rights Center works to ensure that Microsoft meets its commitment to respect human rights and works to advance public understanding of the human rights impact of information and communications technology.