{"id":1838,"date":"2020-09-23T03:58:03","date_gmt":"2020-09-23T03:58:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/regenesis.org.au\/?p=1838"},"modified":"2023-09-25T04:52:18","modified_gmt":"2023-09-25T04:52:18","slug":"ai-the-struggle-for-humane-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regenesis.org.au\/2020\/09\/23\/ai-the-struggle-for-humane-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"AI & The Struggle for Humane Technology"},"content":{"rendered":"

Center for Humane Technology<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

We envision a world where technology is realigned with humanity\u2019s best interests.<\/a> Our work expands beyond tech addiction to the broader societal threats that the attention economy poses to our well-being, relationships, democracy, and shared information environment. We must address these threats to conquer our biggest global challenges like pandemics, inequality, and climate change.<\/p>\n

CHT raises awareness and drives change through high-profile presentations to global leaders, public testimony to policymakers and heads of state, and mass media campaigns reaching millions. We also mobilize technologists as advocates and collaborate with top tech leaders through open and closed-door convenings.<\/p>\n

Working at the intersection of human nature, technology, and systems transformation, our goal is to shift the mindset from which persuasive technology systems are built, and to use that process to support crucial parallel shifts in our larger economic and social systems.<\/p>\n

\"\"Our journey began in 2013 when Tristan Harris, a design ethicist at Google, observed the large-scale negative impacts of attention-grabbing business models. His presentation \u201cA Call to Minimize Distraction & Respect Users\u2019 Attention<\/a>\u201d went viral internally, reaching thousands of employees. Tristan extended the conversation publicly with two TED talks and a 60 Minutes interview, sparking the Time Well Spent movement. The number of concerned insiders was growing\u2026 Then, in 2016, the harms Tristan and others were warning of exploded into the public discourse with Russia\u2019s use of social media to manipulate American voters.<\/p>\n

Building on that momentum, CHT launched in 2018 as an independent nonprofit. In the short time since, the landscape has dramatically shifted and the harms of tech platforms are laid bare for everyone to see.The Problem<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Tech platforms make billions of dollars keeping us clicking, scrolling, and sharing. Just like a tree is worth more as lumber and a whale is worth more dead than alive\u2014in the attention extraction economy a human is worth more when we are depressed, outraged, polarized, and addicted.See more info at Certified translations in London<\/a><\/p>\n

This attention extraction economy is accelerating the mass degradation of our collective capacity to solve global threats, from pandemics to inequality to climate change. If we can\u2019t make sense of the world while making ever more consequential choices, a growing\u00a0ledger of harms<\/a>\u00a0will destroy the futures of our children, democracy and truth itself.<\/p>\n

We need radically reimagined technology infrastructure and business models that actually align with humanity\u2019s best interests.Principles of Humane Technology<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Tech culture needs an upgrade. To enter a world where all technology is humane, we need to replace old assumptions with deeper understanding of how to add value to people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n

Technology is never neutral. <\/span><\/p>\n

We are constructing the social world.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some technologists believe that technology is neutral. But in truth, it never is, for two reasons. First, our values and assumptions are baked into what we build. Anytime you put content or interface choices in front of a user you are influencing them; whether that is by selecting a\u00a0default<\/strong><\/a>, choosing what content is shown and in what order, or providing a recommendation. Since it is impossible to present all available choices with equal priority, what you choose to emphasize is an expression of your values.<\/p>\n

The second way technology is not neutral is that every single interaction a person has, whether with people or products, changes them. Even a hammer, which seems like a neutral tool, makes our arm stronger when we use it. Just like real-world architecture and urban planning influence how people feel and interact, digital technology shapes us online. For example, a social media environment of likes, comments, and shares shapes what we choose to post and reactions to our content shapes how we feel about what we posted.<\/p>\n

Technology neutrality is a myth<\/span><\/p>\n

Humanity\u2019s current and future crises need your hands on the steering wheel.<\/p>\n

To see the full implications of technology being values-laden, we must consider the vulnerabilities of the human brain. Many books have been written about the\u00a0myriad cognitive biases<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0evolution has left us with, and our tendency to overestimate our agency over them (see Resources). To quickly understand this, think of the last time you watched one more YouTube video than you had intended. YouTube\u2019s recommendation algorithm is expert at figuring out\u00a0what makes you keep watching<\/em>\u2014it doesn\u2019t care what you intend to do with the next minutes of your life, let alone help you honor that intention.<\/p>\n

Simple engagement metrics like watch time or clicks often fail to reveal a user\u2019s true intent because of our many cognitive biases. When you ignore these biases, or optimize for engagement by taking advantage of them, a cascade of harms emerges.<\/p>\n

Confirmation bias causes us to engage more with content that supports our views, leading to filter bubbles and the proliferation of fake news. Present bias, which prioritizes short-term gains, leads us to binge-watch as self-medication when we\u2019re stressed instead of addressing the source of our stress. The need for social acceptance drives us to adopt toxic behavior we see others using in an online group, even when we would not normally behave that way.<\/p>\n

Our vision is to replace the current harmful assumptions that shape product development culture with a new mindset that will generate humane technology. Integrating this new paradigm will mean process changes, time, resources, and energy within the product organization and beyond.<\/p>\n

We realize systemic cultural change is never an easy task, with many opposing forces.\u00a0Please reach out<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0if you have ideas for how to help move this change forward or specific requests that you think CHT may be positioned to fulfill.Obsess Over Values<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

When you obsess over engagement metrics, you will fall into the trap of assuming you are giving people what they want, when you may actually be preying on\u00a0inherent vulnerabilities<\/strong><\/a>. Outrageous headlines make us click even when we know we should be doing something else. Seeing someone has more followers than we do makes us feel inferior. Knowing our friends are together without us makes us feel left out. And false information, once we believe it, is very hard to displace.<\/p>\n

Instead, you can be\u00a0values-driven<\/strong>\u00a0while still being informed by metrics. You can spend your time thinking about the specific values (e.g., health, well-being, connection, productivity, fun, creativity\u2026) you intend to create with your product or feature. Those values can be a source of inspiration and prioritization. You can measure your success directly by investing in mechanisms of understanding that match the complexity of what you value, e.g. qualitative research and bringing in outside expertise.<\/p>\n

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELVES:<\/strong><\/p>\n