AI Is Shaping the Future of the Web. How Can We Make Sure It’s for the Better?

Bridget Todd: “Prince was the OG tech critic in my opinion, so let’s start there. Prince was known for using technology in his music in innovative ways and he was also behind initiatives to bring tech to underrepresented communities. So he valued technology, but this was also grounded in criticism and truth telling about the harms it could present. He presents a model for how believing in the possibility of technology goes hand in hand with being honest about the way it can be used to harm.”

BT: “Killer Robots sounds like something out of a horror film. But, as this documentary shows, the actual horror is the way we’re developing and funding killer robot technology in real life—these automated decisions that are being introduced across all parts of society.”

BT: “As the first episode of IRL demonstrates, technology that is used to harm will always have a disproportionate impact on communities of color—something that is unfortunately the case all around the world. In the United States, the first person to be killed using an armed police robot was Micah Xavier Johnson. This happened at an especially chaotic time in the country and I am not sure we had a real reckoning around what this event might have ushered in regarding the use of killer robot technology.”

BT: “Similarly, this tweet demonstrates exactly what I mean. What happens when technology that we know can be so harmful is just ushered in as an unavoidable part of public life?”

BT: “It is critical we reimagine what safety looks and feels like for women globally—both IRL and online.”

BT: “The first episode of IRL talks about whistleblowers and tech workers who spoke out against the technology being developed by big tech companies. When discussing this topic, it’s important not to forget that speaking truth to power comes with great personal and professional risks and costs.”

BT: “Yeshi Milner of Data for Black Lives is one of those visionaries who is looking at data and technology and imagining it being used to actually support communities of color, rather than harm. What would it look like if voices like hers were centered in technology?”

BT: “Tech workers are a great resource for making meaningful change because they have the kind of visibility no one from the outside could ever have. I’m hopeful we’ll see more and more tech workers organizing to make meaningful change when it comes to Big Tech.”

BT: “This isn’t just an excuse to listen to my favorite Gnarls Barkley jam; it can be transformative to listen to voices who have risked everything to make technology better.”

BT: “I hate that when we think about technology, we’re so often talking about tech that is being used to harm. To me, it leaves less room for conversations about possibility. What would it be like to center hopeful reinterpretations of technology and the future?”

BT: “I curated this collection while traveling in Lisbon, Portugal. On my first day there, I found this second-hand jumpsuit at a flea market and it seemed apt!”

Where should tech builders draw the line on AI for military or surveillance? Just because it can be built, doesn’t mean it should be.