As developers, architects, designers and others involved in tech-development, we have the possibility to change the world to a better place. Microsoft is already working on that.

Thousands of Google-employees protest against development of autonomous drones [1], the Facebook-, Google-, Twitter-employees who designed key elements of the social platforms are disavowing the design principles that make the platforms as addictive as possible [2] and tens of thousands of tech people congregate in Copenhagen where 150 principles for a more humane technology-development are formulated [3].

This is all part of a growing acknowledgement among tech-workers that the systems we are developing have serious side effects and impact society and the individuals who are using the technology.

Copenhagen Catalog of ethical tech-principles

This growing realisation was put into writing last year at the Techfestival in Copenhagen where the Copenhagen Letter on Tech was written. The Copenhagen Letter urges developers to consider technologies’ implications for individuals and society. It’s an open letter to “everyone who shapes technology today” [4].

This year, the ideas from the Copenhagen Letter were further explored, and I was so lucky to be part of formulating 150 guiding principles for a more responsible and humane approach to technology.

To get more background for the reasoning and motivation for the 150 principles, I urge you to read Lee Bryant’s great LinkedIn-article [5] and to get more information about how Techfestival offers an alternative tech-view than the current dominant Silicon Valley-centric view at tech, read this Qz-article [6].

When you have done that, please read and sign the principles. 🙂 [3]

Byline Festival

A few weeks before I went to the Techfestival, I had been at the Byline Festival to hear more about how democracy is being undermined by a combination of Big Data, detailed psychological/behavioural profiling and microtargeting on social platforms [7].

Besides freezing in a small tent, I had the pleasure to listen to and talk with Damian Collins, the chair of the parliament-committee who is looking into Fake News and, subsequently, the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica-case. The Cambridge Analytica-whistleblower Chris Wylie was there as well as the award-winning journalist Carole Cadwalladr – and John Cleese, who is nearly 80 years, but still extremely witty.

The parliament-committee recently published their interim report [8] and have recommendations on how to tackle disinformation and fake news [9].

Microsoft to defend Democracy

The big tech-companies must start to acknowledge the concerns voiced by tech-workers, whistleblowers and politicians. I still get the impression that the wider public is unaware/do not care about this, but Microsoft has, very commendable, already started to apply technology for the common good, for instance by combatting Fake News on Bing and LinkedIn [10]. Microsoft has also recently offered free cybersecurity to politicians [11].

How does any of this affect me?

You are probably thinking something like: “It’s great with all these beautiful ideas and principles, saving democracy and the world, but how does this relate to my work as a Dynamics 365 developer, a remote-working Senior DevOps Engineer or an SCCM Consultant?”

Maybe not directly, but as you are not only a good engineer, but a Great Engineer, you are of course considering the consequences of the technologies you are developing and/or deploying. How does the technology fit into the organisation? Does the system really support the business mission? Can we tweak the system to be more accommodating to the business needs?

We need to apply the same thinking on a societal level. Does the technology support the way we want to evolve society?

As my humble contribution to the 150 principles states: A society’s end goals are not Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, it is Big Humanity and Real Wisdom [12].

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LINKS

[1] Google ‘to end’ Pentagon Artificial Intelligence project
[2] ‘Our minds can be hijacked’: the tech insiders who fear a smartphone dystopia
[3] The Copenhagen Catalog
[4] The Copenhagen Letter
[5] The Copenhagen Catalog – Lee Bryant
[6] Copenhagen’s vibrant Techfestival demonstrates why tech conferences should be open to all
[7] The Byline Festival
[8] Disinformation and ‘fake news’: Interim Report
[9] 5 recommendations to tackle disinformation and fake news
[10] Microsoft to use AI to curb fake news on LinkedIn and Bing
[11] We are taking new steps against broadening threats to democracy
[12] Use technologies to evolve society