Technology and Public Purpose

Join TAPP Project Fellow, Rebecca Williams, in conversation with Taiwan's Digital Minister, Audrey Tang, to discuss the unique opportunities and responsibilities the public, private, and social sectors have in ensuring that technology is used to protect and promote democracy.

Coded Bias explores the fallout of MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini´s startling discovery that facial recognition does not see dark-skinned faces and women accurately, and her journey to push for the first-ever legislation in the U.S. to govern against bias in the algorithms that impact us all.

In honor of Black History Month, join the Technology and Public Purpose Project for a virtual screening of the film, Coded Bias. The TAPP will host filmmaker Shalini Kantayya for a conversation moderated by Karen Ejiofor and Amritha Jayanti on Wednesday, February 17th at 12pmET.  

The recent decision by Big Tech to ban prominent politicians, including President Donald Trump, and enforce strict content moderation against hate speech, mis/disinformation, and violence is a new precedent that could prove consequential for the future of online speech—and for the future of democracy. 

Join Belfer Center's Technology and Public Purpose (TAPP) Project as it brings together leading experts to discuss the timeliness, constitutionality, and societal implications of Big Tech's latest demonstration of power. 

Join us for an informational session about the TAP fellowship application requirements and tips for applying. 

Join Jacky Chang, CTO of the Biden/Harris campaign, and Clare Bayley, Technology and Public Purpose Fellow and former Director of Product for the US Digital Service, in conversation about the technology behind the campaign on Wednesday, December 2nd at 1pmEST.

Attendance: This event is open to the public and hosted on Zoom. 

Registration: Please RSVP at the link below. Registration will remain open until the event begins.

The Tech Spotlight recognizes projects and initiatives that demonstrate a commitment to public purpose in the areas of digital, biotech, and future of work. 

Come learn more about opportunities to get involved with the Technology and Public Purpose Project!

Registration for this event is required. Please use this link to RSVP. 

Gretchen Greene, Technology and Public Purpose Project research fellow, and Hong Qu, the Research Director on the Council on the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence, will discuss their research on AI and governance from challenging the use of facial recognition, to mitigating consequences from biased training data sets, to working with local officials to ensure that the use of AI technology in public policy does not perpetuate historical inequities.

Registration is required. Please click here to register for this event. 

Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs’ Technology and Public Purpose Project (TAPP) and Harvard Business School’s Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship are hosting an invite-only, one-day workshop to  convene investors (Limited Partners and General Partners) and entrepreneurs (CEOs) investing in and building emerging and disruptive technologies in areas including artificial intelligence, genome engineering, advanced computing technologies and more.

The Harvard Kennedy School’s Technology and Public Purpose (TAPP) Project and New America’s Public Interest Technology teams will host a workshop focused on data privacy and design. The purpose of this workshop is to educate and enrich each participant’s knowledge of the multifaceted complexities inherent in issues surrounding data privacy by bringing together a room full of experts from various disciplines, communities of practice, and backgrounds.