(Photo by iStock/Jay Yuno)
As technology rapidly evolves, social change leaders must work to ensure that it is advancing the public good, lifting up and not further marginalizing the communities that have already been targeted or neglected by tech.
SSIR’s 2022 Data on Purpose conference, “Putting the Public Interest Before Technology,” will convene online June 21-24 and bring together some of the sharpest minds in academia, civil society, and the public and private sectors to discuss how to advance technology responsibly and equitably. (Register now for complimentary access)
This reading list explores topics related to each session of the conference, including an overview of public interest tech, racial equity for communities impacted by technology, tech infrastructures for public and civic life, philanthropy’s role in the future of tech, and more.
* * *
Day 1: Establishing What We Mean When We Talk About ‘Public Interest Technology’
- Building the Public Interest Technology Infrastructure of the Future by Jenny Toomey and Latanya Sweeney
- Power to the Public by Tara Dawson McGuinness and Hana Schank (Read SSIR’s review by Jim Frucherterman)
- Public Interest Technology: Bridge to the Future by Chuck Robbins and Darren Walker
Day 2: Centering Racial Equity in Public Interest Technology
- AI Ethics Are In Danger. Funding Independent Research Could Help by Dylan Baker and Alex Hanna
- Improving Diversity in Tech With Smarter Investments in Higher Education by Dwana Franklin-Davis and Kinnis Gosha
- Keys to Unlocking an Inclusive and Just Tech Future by Raymar Hampshire, Jessica Taketa, and Tayo Fabusuyi
- Tech Inclusion for Excluded Communities by Linda Jakob Sadeh and Smadar Nehab (Subscriber-only article temporarily open. Subscribe to SSIR here.)
- Decolonize Data by Nithya Ramanathan, Jim Fruchterman, Amy Fowler, and Gabriele Carotti-Sha (Subscriber-only article temporarily open. Subscribe to SSIR here.)
Are you enjoying this article? Read more like this, plus SSIR's full archive of content, when you subscribe.
Day 3: Reimagining the Public Sector and Public Spaces
- Remake the World by Astra Taylor
- Funding Data and AI That Serve the Social Sector by Jake Porway
- An excerpt from Strong Connections by Rosa Wang
- The Uncommon Knowledge of Elinor Ostrom: Essential Lessons for Collective Action by Erik Nordman
From Day 3 panelist Bianca Wylie:
- The Uncommon Knowledge of Elinor Ostrom by Erik Nordman
- Unsettling Canada by Arthur Manuel, Grand Chief Ronald M. Derrickson
- Reconsidering Reparations by Olufemi O. Taiwo
- The White Possessive by Aileen Moreton-Robinson
- Voltaire's Bastards by John Ralston Saul
- The Public and Its Problems by John Dewey
- The Real World of Technology by Ursula M. Franklin
- Power and Powerlessness by John Gaventa
- Peace is Every Step byThich Nhat Hanh
- The Cult of Efficiency by Janice Gross Stein
- Undoing the Demos by Wendy Brown
- Race After Technology by Ruha Benjamin
Day 4: Looking Towards the Future…
- How Funders Can Help Fill Critical Gaps in Technology for Social Good by Katy Knight and Laura Maher
- Reimagine Recovery: A Playbook for an Equitable Future published by the Ford Foundation
- Leaky Pipelines or Broken Scaffolding? Supporting Women’s Leadership in STEM by Linda Calhoun, Shruthi Jayaram, and Natasha Madorsky
- An excerpt of The Tech That Comes Next by Amy Sample Ward and Afua Bruce
Register now for SSIR’s complimentary Data on Purpose conference June 21-24
Support SSIR’s coverage of cross-sector solutions to global challenges.
Help us further the reach of innovative ideas. Donate today.
Read more stories by SSIR Editors.