Internet platforms and online technology have entered uncharted territory over recent years, making the impossible possible and giving consumers more choice and access than ever before. In just a few short years, these advances have transformed everything—from how people move in cities to how water purity can be monitored. However, doing the unprecedented also means facing new challenges, in particular disrupting traditional employment models and a social compact that generations of workers have come to rely on. Both in the United States and internationally, there is a call for a robust examination of how our basic social compact—the premise that if we work hard and do the right thing, we should all be able to get ahead—keeps pace with technological revolutions. From AI and automation, to more desegregated work, the future of work can only be examined effectively through cross-sector collaboration: labor unions, technologists, academics, and lawmakers alike must come together to design education and healthcare models, and explore opportunities for upward mobility fit for consumers, workers, and a 21st Century global economy.

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