Ask Us Anything: You Asked, We Answered

Welcome to our first-ever Ask Us Anything episode. Recently we
put out a call for questions… and, wow, did you come through! We
got more than 100 responses from listeners to this podcast from
all over the world. It was really fun going through them all, and
really difficult to choose which ones to answer here. But we
heard you, and we’ll carry your amazing suggestions and ideas
forward with us in 2023.

When we created Your Undivided Attention, the goal was to explore
the incredible power technology has over our lives, and how we
can use it to catalyze a humane future. Three years and a global
pandemic later, we’re more committed than ever to helping meet
the moment with crucial conversations about humane technology -
even as the tech landscape constantly evolves and world events
bring more urgency to the need for technology that unites us,
invests in democratic values, and enhances our well-being.

We’ve learned from our guests alongside all of you. Sixty-one
episodes later, the podcast has over 16 million unique downloads!
That’s a lot of people who care about the promise of humane
technology and are working to construct a more humane version of
technology in their lives, their family’s lives, and within their
communities and society at large. We’re a movement! 

Thank you to everyone who submitted questions and comments for
us. We loved doing this, and we’re looking forward to doing it
again!


Correction:


When discussing DeepMind’s recent paper, Aza said the premise was
four people entering their views and opinions, with AI finding
the commonality between all of those viewpoints. It was actually
three people entering their views and opinions.

RECOMMENDED MEDIA 

CHT’s Recommended Reading List:


Foundations of Humane Technology


Our free, self-paced online course for professionals shaping
tomorrow’s technology


The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff 


Foundational reading on the attention economy

Algorithms of Oppression by Safiya Umoja Noble 


Seminal work on how algorithms in search engines replicate and
reinforce bias online and offline


Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman 


Written in 1985, Postman’s work shockingly predicts our current
media environment and its effects


Attention Merchants by Tim Wu


A history of how advertisers capture our attention


Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth 


A compass for how to upgrade our economic models to be more
regenerative and distributive

Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows


This excellent primer shows us how to develop systems thinking
skills


What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets by Michael
Sandel


Sandel explores how we can prevent market values from reaching
into spheres of life where they don’t belong


Essay: Disbelieving Atrocities by Arthur Koestler


Originally published January 9, 1944 in The New York Times

Humane Technology reading list


Comprehensive for those who want to geek out

ORGANIZATIONS TO EXPLORE 

Integrity Institute


Integrity Institute advances the theory and practice of
protecting the social internet, powered by their community of
integrity professionals

All Tech Is Human job board


All Tech Is Human curates roles focused on reducing the harms of
technology, diversifying the tech pipeline, and ensuring that
technology is aligned with the public interest


Denizen


Denizen brings together leaders across disciplines to accelerate
systemic change


New_Public


New_Public is place for thinkers, builders, designers and
technologists to meet and share inspiration


Psychology of Technology Institute


PTI is non-profit network of behavioral scientists, technology
designers, and decision-makers that protects and improves
psychological health for society by advancing our understanding
and effective use of transformative technologies


RadicalxChange


RxC is a social movement for next-generation political
economies

The School for Social Design


The School for Social Design offers three courses on articulating
what’s meaningful for different people and how to design for it
at smaller and larger scales


TechCongress


TechCongress is a technology policy fellowship on Capitol
Hill

RECOMMENDED YUA EPISODES 

An Alternative to Silicon Valley Unicorns


https://www.humanetech.com/podcast/54-an-alternative-to-silicon-valley-unicorns


A Problem Well-Stated is Half-Solved


https://www.humanetech.com/podcast/a-problem-well-stated-is-half-solved


Digital Democracy is Within Reach


https://www.humanetech.com/podcast/23-digital-democracy-is-within-reach


Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for
Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_