Technology and Public Purpose

The rise of digital platforms has been accompanied by numerous societal harms, including a burgeoning mental health crisis, countless cases of online harassment, and growing political polarization. This publication identifies the causal drivers of these harms, based on research across academia, civil society, and industry. 

Creating the DPGP Index has provided our research team with a unique perspective to analyze the ecosystem of solutions. Below are a few of our key takeaways.

The commercial space technology Starlink grabbed headlines in the wake of the Russian-Ukraine war. Just two days into the conflict, Elon Musk, CEO and founder of SpaceX, the company that operates Starlink, agreed to supply Ukraine with the technology to ensure they had reliable internet connectivity and communication. Starlink has since been touted as critical in the war effort, but it has not come without hazards.

This essay takes an engineering approach to ensuring that the deployment of artificial intelligence does not confound ethical principles, even in sensitive applications like national security. There are design techniques in all three parts of the AI architecture–algorithms, data sets, and applications–that can be used to incorporate important moral considerations. The newness and complexity of AI cannot therefore serve as an excuse for immoral outcomes of deployment by companies or governments.

High broadband access and adoption rates can significantly improve earnings and net worth. Yet, year after year, Black and Brown Americans are among the most disparately impacted by digital inequities, which only contribute to the structural economic disparities that have tormented them for centuries. This tribute to Black History Month explains why historic investments in digital infrastructure are insufficient without transformational broadband policies that support economic resilience in every household.

To the engineers, coders, geneticists, and others on the front lines of innovation who may be considering public service, I want to make the case for a type of service you may not have previously considered: offering policy advice on science and technology issues to the United States Congress.

While some technologies are tearing us apart, the Tech Spotlight finalists, selected from over 200 submissions worldwide, are helping shape a better future.

Belfer Center Director Ash Carter on CNBC's Squawk Box talking about regulations and big tech.

“Social media companies have a profoundly negative effect on democracies.” A Q&A with Laura Manley.

100 days working on COVID-19 and lessons learned to prepare us for the next spike and future pandemics.