Berkeley’s Sociology Department is known around the world for its excellence in research and teaching. Our faculty advance cutting edge research and teach in most sociological specialities. Our PhDs are leaders in universities and research centers across the US and in many other countries. And our BAs populate the ranks of innumerable professions, bringing with them the skills and special perspective of Berkeley sociology.
We are proud to make these contributions from the world’s leading public university. At Berkeley, we combine intellectual rigor with a commitment to public service through our research, teaching, and service on campus and beyond.
For the past six decades, Berkeley’s Sociology Department has consistently been ranked among the world’s top sociology departments. Our graduate program is ranked #1 in the latest U.S. News and World Report, and our undergrad degree is currently the best in the US according to College Factual and features on Grad Reports’ Best College List 2020.
Prof. Einstein served graduate students as a model of prudence in remaining unfashionably true to the grand…
On the Outside: Prisoner Reentry and Reintegration
America’s high incarceration rates are a well-known facet of contemporary political conversations. Mentioned far less often is what happens to the nearly 700,000 former prisoners who rejoin society each year.On the Outside examines the lives of 22 people—varied in race and gender but united by their time in the criminal justice system—as they pass out of the prison gates and back into society. The book takes a clear-eyed look at the challenges faced by former prisoners as they try to find work, housing, and stable communities. Standing alongside the...
Departmental Colloquium Series
Antonio Casilli, "How Artificial Intelligence Fosters Global Inequalities: A Four-Country Study on Data Work "
Wednesday December 11th, 2024 at 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Blumer Room - 402 Social Sciences Building & Via Zoom
Abstract:
While public debate focuses on how AI might affect human labor, this talk reverses the perspective by examining how human labor shapes AI. Recent evidence shows that data-intensive machine learning systems rely heavily on a concealed workforce. Behind voice assistants, self-driving cars, and facial recognition tools are millions of underpaid and unrecognized data workers performing crucial tasks like image labeling, information sorting, and audio transcription. While awareness of precarious working conditions in this sector is growing in the North America, much of this work is outsourced to countries of the Majority World, where informal economy is thriving and highly educated workers face less-regulated labor markets. Drawing on research conducted by the DiPLab team across Venezuela, Madagascar, Brazil, and France, this presentation reveals how historical global inequalities and dependencies are being reproduced through international digital labor and data supply chains. Through mixed-methods analysis and primary data, we examine the working conditions and socio-demographic profiles of data workers across these four countries, spanning low- to high-income economies.