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EmailTechnology moves fast, much faster than the institutions humans have set up to govern it. Our deliberative systems are not designed to keep up with the turbo speed of Silicon Valley — especially now in the escalating race to compete with domestic and foreign competitors for dominance. This transnational struggle often obscures and downplays the consequences of the rush to compete at all costs.
Nearly every facet of human existence has been fundamentally disrupted by technology at one point or another, and historically, the most we have demanded from developers is that they strive to mitigate harm. That is no longer enough. Now more than ever, we need an overarching ethical framework to guide the responsible development and use of new technology in the international economic arms race. Moreover, we need a framework that can achieve widespread adoption and avert problems before they can take root and cause harm.
This ethos is often seen to be at odds with growth, especially when companies are competing with global peers who may not hemmed in by the same ethical constraints. However, as consumers are increasingly aware of the potential perils of unchecked technology, and grow more interested in how companies align with their own values, savvy companies will see the potential market for tech that puts people first. Crucially, government involvement in regulating how these frameworks are enforced can also help ensure the most ethical companies are given an advantage over those that seek to exploit us.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the most obvious example of a set of technologies that holds great promise while simultaneously threatening harm. From moral quandaries centered on how AI algorithms are trained on biased data, to concerns about job loss, to misleading synthetic media, there are many questions still to be answered.
Yet, AI is hardly our only concern. All one has to do is revisit the conversation on the role social media platforms play in enabling and promoting mis- and disinformation, sometimes with deadly consequences, to understand how imperative it is that we get out ahead of these questions now. And it’s the technologies we still cannot imagine that may benefit the most from a framework to guide their ethical development.
A Path Toward Ethical Tech
That’s why Aspen Digital teamed up with Project Liberty Institute and over 150 global experts to work through these problems. Our findings are outlined in our new report, Responsible Technology: A Path Towards an Ethical Innovation Ecosystem.
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Responsible Technology
Aspen Digital and Project Liberty Institute offer recommendations for ethical innovation, and a future built by and for all.
Fundamentally, we believe that humankind deserves better and that, with the right frameworks in place, ethical standards can be at the heart of the new technology we develop and the existing technology we use, for the purpose of advancing human dignity and shared prosperity.
During our consultations across five continents, some common themes emerged to allow us to better understand the challenge at hand:
- We need to build new systems and enforce the old ones. Experts often lament that our existing rules and regulations simply are not up to the task of reining in today’s technology and all of the concerns it raises. That’s true, we need new regulatory bodies with the capacity, knowledge, access, and tools necessary to effectively address today’s challenges. However, we can and should apply our existing laws to new technology.
- Those at the table determine what gets built, and who is impacted. There is a strong need to reshape the faces behind product development by increasing the diversity of product teams and organizational leadership, enhancing training in ethics, and engaging more deeply with those affected by technology. These diversity goals should also extend to regulatory bodies overseeing new digital technologies and services.
- Competing incentives prove problematic. It’s become axiomatic that speed is everything when it comes to developing new technologies, maintaining an advantage, and protecting investments—but that must not be at the cost of public safety and wellbeing. Finding ways to balance these competing objectives will be integral to building a framework that works for everyone.
- Plan ahead to avoid hype and intervene less. The hype cycle around new technology makes it exponentially harder to discern fact from fiction, often distracting from systemic elements that shape the responsible use of new tools. We need a more holistic view of the innovation cycle, which begins as technology is designed, invested in, and carried on throughout the lifecycle. In the current post-release regulatory environment, interventions are often imposed too late, which triggers tensions with established companies and undermines widely adopted technological services.
Recommendations
Based on our consultations, we developed three recommendations for responsible technology innovation. These guidelines provide a holistic view of the ecosystem, addressing the key factors impacting innovation capacity, governance, roles and responsibilities, business models, incentives, and technical architectures.
1
Establish a shared vision and common metrics. We need a shared set of values and goals that establishes a set of agreed-upon benchmarks and measurements. We recommend that this be jointly developed with stakeholders from across sectors and communities, including governments, international organizations, multinational corporations, SMEs, investors, civil society, academics, and other experts, including impacted populations and consumers.
2
Advance public interest technology to foster a healthier digital economy. Public interest technology can address unintended consequences by leveraging entrepreneurialism and innovation to optimize for socio-economic good. This can include open infrastructure, protocols, data, tools, and services designed to prioritize broad societal benefits, such as equity, access, inclusion, data agency, and accountability. Crucially, public interest technology is not the enemy of commercial success. Both high-performance commercial and non-commercial applications can be built atop an ethically designed infrastructure, not dissimilar to the internet and World Wide Web protocols that enable online connectivity.
3
Create market incentives that spur a digital economy in the common interest. For responsible technology to become mainstream, we need economic models to contain incentives that motivate developers, entrepreneurs, and investors to build and market more ethical technology innovations. Existing incentives that drive how technologies are developed and deployed upstage other ethical concerns in the absence of regulation or other frameworks that bind the entire market. As daunting as it seems, we must aim to transform the market. Otherwise, it will continue to bend toward incentives that put speed over ethics; companies that behave more ethically risk being outperformed.
Ultimately, the future of technology hinges on our ability to weave ethical considerations into the fabric of innovation. By fostering a shared vision, advancing public interest technology, and creating market incentives aligned with ethical principles, we can shape a digital economy prioritizing human dignity and shared prosperity. Implementing these changes will require global collaboration, unwavering commitment, and the active participation of all stakeholders. The journey is complex, but with a collective effort, we can steer technology toward a future that benefits all of humanity, ensuring that progress does not come at the cost of our values.
