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WHAT THE TECH

How do we find meaning among the machines?

Hey there, I'm a computer science undergrad at Berkeley. Thinking about my opportunities for using my CS skills in the future, I find myself asking a lot of questions. How do I do work that is actually meaningful and helpful to people? And, how can technology bridge barriers between people and scale bright ideas?
This futuristic world we live in can be difficult to understand, but it is important to ask these key questions and focus on impact. This blog is called What the Tech because, frankly, What the Tech is Tech... and Life... and Everything... I'm not sure. However, in these blog posts you'll find my attempts to be a heckler (or techler haha) by questioning, challenging, and trying to understand what the tech is happening with today's biggest ideas.
Let's see where this takes us! :P

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PROJECTS

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PROJECT I

To Beep or Not to Beep: Why Understanding Human Consciousness Means Better Robots

Currently, the information processing, logical side of the human mind is the part that is mainly understood and used to make helpful computers, but more complexities exist in the subconscious level that prevent technology from becoming “human.” However, artificial intelligence has come a long way towards replicating creativity, analysis, and intelligence and even offers humans an opportunity to improve their lives by changing or uploading their brains. With all these technological advances, what will it take to have a future where robots and people both have consciousness? And, if this happens, how can these two groups best function together to maximize prosperity?

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PROJECT II

Slidedeck on Technology and Philanthropy

A presentation of research related to corporate philanthropy, psychological ideas such as argumentative theory, and why advancements in technology have great potential to damage society. Project III is a much more developed version of this project.

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PROJECT III

The Social Good Revolution: How Corporate Responsibility can Enable Technological Innovation and Beneficially Impact Society

Abstract: In this day and age, technology is affecting people in ways it never has before. Artificial intelligence is replacing human decision making in key areas, the sensational ways in which companies use technology incur short term gains while corrupting entire populations, and unmoderated sides of the internet decrease participant responsibility and hateful groups to reach others under the guise of anonymity. All these advances pose new and concerning ethical and moral questions we’ve never seen before. The decision to build technology with the benefit of society in mind may change from being the “right” thing to being the only way technologists, companies, and the people of the world can prevent self destruction. This social good revolution is on the horizon because companies like Uber and Lyft are becoming more competitive in the realm of total societal impact. Also, companies like Pinterest and LinkedIn are realizing where their algorithms fall short of serving the needs of their customers, while others like Google are hiring teams of ethicists and setting goals for themselves regarding their impact on the world. When technology companies and their engineers are aware of the unintended consequences of their new technology, they can build better products that make everyone better off and keep the company sustained in the long term. Mission-driven development is taking off because the future of the world is increasingly at stake. However, making an impact requires more than just intention. Argumentative theory explains that individuals must interact and compare ideas in order to dismantle their confirmation bias. People are starting to care more about working for companies that make ethical decisions. They can contribute by questioning corporate intentions, expressing their opinions, and feeling confident in the social impact of the products they build. Companies can also encourage this kind of culture among their ranks by aiming for diversity of thought while hiring and being open with their decision making. These efforts incentivize engineers to work for companies and make the technology they build better satisfy the mission.
Keywords: Technology, Corporate Philanthropy, Artificial Intelligence, Ethics of Technology, Mission Driven Development, Human Decision, Argumentative Theory, Confirmation Bias, Free Speech, Total Societal Impact, Corporate Social Responsibility, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google, Slack Uber, Lyft, Algorithmic Bias, Diversity and Inclusion, Hiring Practices

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Abstract Unfinished Draft and Rough Outline

  • Writer: Techler
    Techler
  • Nov 27, 2018
  • 2 min read

In this day and age, technology is affecting people it never has before. Unmoderated sides of the internet allows hateful groups to reach others through the guise of anonymity, artificial intelligence is replacing human decision making in key areas, and the sensational ways in which companies use technology incur short term gains while corrupting entire populations. All these advances pose new and concerning ethical and moral questions we’ve never seen before. The decision to build technology with the benefit of society in mind may change from being the “right” thing to being the only way technologists, companies, and the people of the world can prevent self destruction. This social good revolution is on the horizon because companies like Uber and Lyft are becoming more competitive in the realm of total societal impact. Also, companies like Pinterest and LinkedIn are realizing where their algorithms fall short of serving the needs of their customers, while others like Google are hiring teams of ethicists and setting goals for themselves regarding their impact on the world. When technology companies and their engineers are aware of the unintended consequences of their new technology, they can build better products that make everyone better off and keep the company sustained in the long term. Mission-driven development is taking off because the future of the world is increasingly at stake. Making these … (need to add third point)



Outline

Technology matters a lot more than it used to - ethical decisions must be made

Historical sort of thing that AI is different

AI blackboxing is not a good thing

Lots of money in industry

What is tech for social good? Let’s strive for that

Tech industry is booming and has a lot of power

People are starting to take notice of bad potential

How these are still fundamentally human decisions

How are companies responding/why should they take responsibility

Using social impact to compete (lyft)

Shift in focus towards total societal impact

Leads into -> Ethical decisions with tech and awareness of consequences == social good

Social good is a necessary byproduct of competing in new industry (even if we don’t focus on it)

Baby steps - pinterest, linkedin - how specific decisions and careful planning mean better products

Companies fail in the long-term if they aren’t mission-driven

Mission is now towards social good (didn’t used to be)

Google’s mission is

Amazon’s mission/startup missions are not

Serving customers is what companies do

The way to make better decisions is with more diversity, iteration, collaboration, thinking, focusing on impact, ect.

Blueprint club - focusing on impact, partnering with correct people, scalability

Everyone has a unique idea about what social good is and how to make an impact

Since ppl care about tech for social good, they want to work for companies that care too

The best minds are going to flock to the companies that care

Innovation comes from collaboration/argumentative theory

People have bias for their own ideas - this needs to be stopped.

Society comes up with the idea about what social good is.

 
 
 

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