From cars to philanthropy: Tech industry's promise of a better world needs a second look, say writers
From self-driving cars that promise to clear up urban congestion, to grand philanthropic projects to cure all diseases by the end of the 21st century, to core technologies that aim to make communication easier — the technology industry has big visions of changing the world, and of making it a better place.
Haim Mendelson says this comes down to the nature of the people who work in the industry.
"A lot of today's tech leaders came from an engineering background," says the professor of electronic commerce at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
"The engineering mindset is one where people look for solutions that improve life, improve product, improve process, and as a result engineers tend to operate in a way that is consistent with making the world better."
But not everyone is convinced these idealistic visions will lead the world in a positive direction.
"What I hear when people say that, is that ... they want to create the kind of world that will benefit them, while also calling it progress, while calling it utopia," says Jathan Sadowski, a lecturer in ethics of technology at the Delft University of Technology.
Looking at a specific example, The Globe and Mail's European bureau chief Eric Reguly is not convinced that the self-driving cars in development by technology companies will fulfill the promise of decreasing traffic in cities. Instead, he thinks that the convenience of self-driving cars could lead to more cars on the road, more pollution, and a neglect of the less convenient option — public transport.
"I don't think that there's been a debate or any analysis among cities, transport ministers, mayors, anywhere in the world, as to whether the hype surrounding these cars is real," Reguly tells The Current's guest host Jan Wong.
I just don't buy it. I think the hype is completely out of control. You've got to remember, these companies, Google, Uber, Tesla, that are big in the game, their primary goal is to sell products.- Eric Reguly, The Globe and Mail's European bureau chief
Tech entrepreneurs are also trying to make the world a better place through an increasing number of charitable projects, becoming some of the world's biggest "megaphilanthropists." And they often use their business models of innovation and disruption in their giving as well.
"They're looking to bring that big bold thinking, that swinging for the fences mentality to philanthropy," says David Callahan, author of The Givers: Wealth, Power and Philanthropy in a New Gilded Age tells The Current.
But their deep pockets and new ideas can also have the effect of disrupting democracy, argues Callahan.
"You have private individuals who are coming into public life," Callahan tells Jan Wong.
"With that largesse comes a lot of influence ... These people act as super citizens."
Alexandra Samuel is an independent technology researcher, who got into the technology field two decades ago because she wanted to make the world better.
"That was and is still my primary interest," Samuel tells Jan Wong.
She argues that whether it's the technology industry's products, philanthropy or their corporate social impact, the field has done and can do a lot of good.
"At its best, the impact of technology has been decentralization, putting power back in the hands of individuals whether that's something as banal as for someone like me, because I work online, I can be there when my kids need me after school, or more profoundly allowing people to have access to the communications technology that allow them to have a political impact."
She points to examples where non-profit groups have been able to address difficult social problems through apps and other technology. But she cautions that tech know-how isn't enough to help someone make the world better.
"Where things get really dangerous, I think, is when you have people who have that innovative mindset — that problem-solving engineer's mindset, and the deep pockets to back their inspiration — but who don't have perhaps the depth of understanding, the experience, the relationships, in the social space that they're going into."
Listen to the full conversation at the top of this post.
This segment was produced by The Current's Karin Marley.