MindGym Chief Digital Officer Elaine Safier explains how technology can improve diversity, equality, and inclusion.
At the recent Women in Silicon Roundabout event, I tackled some of the negative perceptions of ‘big tech’ and set out a vision of the future – one where AI and persuasive technology have the power to improve diversity, foster inclusion and tackle bias.
Promisingly, based on the feedback I received since my talk, there is overwhelming consensus that the industry wants to step up and take action to realise this better future. And there is plenty of insight about how this can be done.
With this in mind, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the future of persuasive technology using AI and the shift towards ‘tech for good’ which I believe is fast approaching – and which is ultimately imperative for the industry’s success.
To get you thinking, here’s a recap of the premise I set out at the event.
We’re all hardwired to recognise patterns and spot the differences between them and while it’s innate to recognise patterns, it isn't innate to ascribe them with a particular value. Assigning value to a pattern is where those around us come in – the friends, family and colleagues that help us qualify what we see as good or bad, right or wrong.
Today, this is happening at scale. When we look at content online, we often don’t even realise that what we’re seeing is being qualified for us. That we are being served more and more of the same content - based on what we seem to like and what we seem to believe – that’s only serving to reinforce any beliefs or biases we already have. Indeed, while there’s more information than ever out there, what we see is becoming ever narrower.
When tech is designed to maximise clicks (or views or downloads), the user is often seen as ‘the product’ and success is measured by frequency and activity. That’s how businesses monetise the content, it’s how they grow and how they thrive. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it's a lot easier to generate more and more clicks by confirming bias and echoing what people already think.
Simply put, bias and discrimination often occur when companies’ and users’ goals are at odds. When a company’s success is measured only by usage, regardless of the content used to generate it and regardless of the impact it has on users, it inevitably reinforces bias and perpetuates echo chambers, often bringing out peoples’ worst instincts.
So, you could be forgiven for thinking that tech can only serve to make our views narrower and increase bias. But I’d like to believe that behavioural tech and AI give us an opportunity to overcome bias and increase diversity, equity and inclusion.
If we start by thinking about what the user wants or needs to grow and thrive – and we base our company’s growth on that – then a better future is possible. This future is fuelled by user experiences and outcomes that focus on long term behaviour change rather than short term activity.
Indeed, when we ensure that users are cognisant (not blindly hooked on addictive clickbait), and given choice and control over how they interact with content, we can move towards data and AI that uses positive persuasion to change behaviour for the better - and which actively encourages diversity of thought.
Ultimately, I believe that when it’s built with inclusive values at the heart, tech can interrupt patterns of mindless repetition and stall the cycle of bias. I’d love to hear your thoughts too.
Get in touch and tell me how you’re designing tech that’s making a difference. Or tell me what you need from your employer to build technology that helps create a better world. Look out for more from MindGym in the coming weeks as we show how we’re leading by example with our own new digital offering.