Technology has had wide-reaching positive effects on people and society: finding new cures for diseases and amplifying their reach across populations, connecting people with friends and family thousands of miles away, and allowing businesses to scale in ways that would previously have been impossible.
However, the downsides of digital technology are also becoming increasingly clear. Technology is not inherently good or bad, but its ability to amplify and accelerate change of all kinds impels us to take responsibility for managing its impact. The complexity of technology means that unintended consequences are difficult to anticipate and plan for, and legislation is failing to keep pace. Today, we are faced with historically big challenges – from feeding more than 7 billion people to fighting economic disparity. Digital technology will have a role to play in solving these problems, but we will only be truly successful if we change the way we build and use it, putting ethical values at the centre of our work.
Digital technology has already changed the way we work, live and play forever. It is now more evident than ever that it is also changing whole societies and institutions, and it is progressively taking over our lives and changing how we think about our most important relationships. The technologies that are driving the biggest changes are owned by an ever smaller number of companies, giving these players disproportionate power in markets and society. Meanwhile, national and international legal systems are struggling to keep up with appropriate regulation. Key pillars of society – democratic institutions, and a free, accountable and trustworthy media – are under threat.
More than a decade into the full digital revolution, we can see evidence of both the benefits and the unintended consequences of the technology we use today, as well as the potential for more serious problems in the future. Meanwhile, the public is increasingly aware of related issues such as economic disparity, environmental degradation, and political instability. The seemingly unstoppable proliferation of digital technology is raising fears and eroding trust in businesses and institutions of all kinds – and people are starting to demand action.
High profile cases like Cambridge Analytica have cast a light on unexpected ways that digital technology can impact our lives and society. The market is also responding – Facebook shares fell more than 24% within 10 days of the public reports, temporarily losing around $134bn in market value in the process¹. While policymakers race to catch up with citizens’ expectations of ethical digital practices, businesses have strong incentives to start designing solutions that reflect these values.
¹Gartner, Data Ethics Enables Business Value, 2018
Much of the discussion about trustworthy and ethical digital technology has been focused on AI and the impact it might have on society in the future. However, there are critical challenges concerning all technology that we have to start addressing today. For years before AI entered the mainstream, technology was affecting workers and jobs, had implications for diversity & accessibility, and was generating unforeseen levels of emissions which impacted the environment. As all organisations become digital organisations, we must all prepare for new questions and challenges, unique to the technology we use and the domain we apply it to, to ensure that all technology aligns with our human and ethical values.