How can you ensure that the social impact of new technology is positive?

Test your ideas on realy buying customers, learn from it, and the build if you have proof that it could be a good product-market fit.

The challenge of ensuring a social impact of new technologies involves the need to implement strategies and policies that promote equity, inclusion, and ethics. This implies addressing issues such as equal and diverse access, privacy protection, mitigation and protection against algorithmic biases, and promotion of digital education, aiming to create a technological environment that benefits society as a whole.

Democratization of knowledge; A new technology can also democratize knowledge, allowing people from different parts of the world to have access to valuable information and learn new subjects. This can lead to greater equality of educational opportunities and a better quality of life for people

Add to the mix ETHICS and SUSTAINABILITY. Rights and laws may not catchup that fast with technology but responsible implementers of new tech should definitely give much thought to these two.

Ensure positive social impact with new technology by understanding user needs, values, and potential risks. You need to cnduct thorough research, consult stakeholders, and analyze the context to define clear impact goals and indicators. This will ensure, technology aligns with societal expectations and will minimize harms.

You can't lower the product failure risks without testing it on the market and real buying customers. Your product dreams and fantasises are maybe not your customer's.

Co-creation and Co-design hold the most critical success factors for new technology. In social projects I often encourage ‘non-technical’ participants in co-creation & co-design phases. While it challenges the technical managers, but these participants often bring the most valuable and original ideas. Would ‘inmates’ bring valuable inputs in new technology for correctional facilities? Or the guards? We often limit ourselves at the Co—creation stage by discounting the power of ‘non-technical’ participants.

To ensure new technology positively impacts society, it's essential to involve users from the start. By including them in the design, testing, and feedback processes, make sure the technology fits their needs and respects their choices. This approach not only addresses their concerns but also builds trust and acceptance for the technology.

You need to engage users actively in designing, developing, and deploying new technology. Co-create, test, gather feedback, and evaluate to ensure the tech aligns with user needs and preferences. Learn from experiences and address concerns.

Involving users is essential as it is one of the more sure fire ways to both understand if this tech is customer/value oriented or a money grab, i.e. will this really help people or is it a get rich scheme?

Always focus first on solving your customer real problems and needs. Without solving some real issues and adding tangible value to your customers you won't win.

Emphasizing the importance of diversity, we offer empathy design frameworks and concepts not only to a wide range of users but also to collaborators and budding designers. These varied perspectives are crucial in enriching our approach and understanding.

I totally believe that users diversity has huge impacts to brings new innovation opportunities in your businesses. Consider a diverse users are an important factor when considering testing new technologies. This can help you best develop your innovation and set you up for success and growth moving forward. More importantly, you should include a variety of channels to get feedback such as presentations, social media postings, newsletters, and employee interviews that encourage all levels of your organization to receive the information and make good decisions for your organization.

às vezes, o vencedor n?o é aquele mais rápido, mas sim aquele que volta menos à estaca zero. Testar com o máximo de pessoas e com os mais diversos perfis proporciona a possibilidade de ter múltiplas vis?es sobre as potencialidades de sua solu??o, reduzindo significativamente seus pontos cegos. Esses pontos cegos, que podem, em um estalar de dedos, p?r fim ao seu projeto. Além disso, a chance de um produto já nascer atendendo às necessidades de muitos países, ou seja, a sua solu??o nascer global quando envolve o máximo de diversidade na co-cria??o, é infinitamente maior.

Bringing 'diversity' in technology is challenging yet the most rewarding. Understanding the limits of diversity in technology is an area of huge interest for social scientists and the governments. While ‘diversity’ can be an overused commodity often with modest outcomes, the smarter technology evangelists often commence with thorough understanding of limits of technology in early stages of programs.

I strongly suggest use the 2030 agenda from United Nations as drive for this process. To find and meet a SDG use to be a good strategy.

You can think about all the values inthe world but without creating real value that differentiate from the competition and with significant relevance to your target customers - you're probably also doomed.

There are several core values to consider but I have just listed a few. 1. Awareness and education. We need to ensure the public understands the merits of new technology. Educating the public about both risks and benefits while engaging them will ensure diverse feedback on the impact of new technology. 2. Privacy protection. One can ensure user privacy by implementing strong safeguards and robust data protection measures. Providing users with control over their data while using new technology does not compromise personal privacy. 3. Continuous dialogue and collaboration. Better collaboration between the innovators, policymakers and the general public will help foster greater participation and shape better outcomes.

Alineando la tecnología con valores universales como la privacidad, seguridad y ética, fortalecemos su aceptación y el respeto hacia el usuario, construyendo una base de confianza y responsabilidad.

Das Ausrichten neuer Technologien an den Werten der Nutzer und der Gesellschaft ist kein optionaler Luxus, sondern eine fundamentale Notwendigkeit. In einer Welt, in der Technologie tief in unseren Alltag eingebettet ist, müssen wir sicherstellen, dass sie ethische, rechtliche und moralische Standards respektiert. Meine Erfahrung zeigt, dass Technologien, die auf den Kernwerten der Gesellschaft basieren, nicht nur breitere Akzeptanz finden, sondern auch eine nachhaltigere Wirkung erzielen. Es geht darum, Technologie nicht nur als Werkzeug, sondern als Partner zu sehen, der die menschliche Würde, Rechte und Autonomie respektiert.

Only outcome that matters are valorization of your ideas and product on the real market by the real buying customer. You can fall in love in your products, but if your customers aren't - that game is lost.

Again, real world early prototyping both saves time and costs for product/service development. Scaling fast, failing fast increases possibility of real success.

Importante criar métricas desde a fase de concep??o, envolvendo também os usuários finais e, se possível, fazer testes antecipadamente. A transparência e acessibilidade destes resultados para as partes interessadas também é de extrema relevancia.

Think of it as taking a stroll with the users after they launched their tech. Regular check-ins, feedback sessions – it's not just about fixing glitches; it's about making sure the creation brings smiles. It's like getting a heartfelt thank-you note, acknowledging the positive change brought to people's lives.

To measure results, the hypothesis to be validated or even prototyped must be well-structured. It is not a matter of trial and error to arrive at a result, but rather a clear hypothesis that needs to be tested as close to reality as possible. This can be done through various prototypes or even mental experiments and MMFs (Minimum Marketable Features).

Another thing to consider is timing and employee capacity. The best technology can be procured for a company but if this is deployed at a time when nobody has capacity to properly learn how to use it, it will be limited in its implementation effectiveness.

Another point to consider is the impact of new technology on employment and job dynamics. While technological innovation can lead to efficiency and growth, it also has the potential to disrupt current job markets. It's vital to anticipate and mitigate these changes by investing in workforce retraining and skill development. This approach ensures that as technology evolves, it doesn't leave behind a segment of the workforce, but rather, opens new opportunities for employment and personal development, leading to a balanced and positive social impact.

Il me semble également vital de mettre en place et surtout de respecter un cadre légal et éthique autour de ces nouveaux outils et usages... Cela permet d'éviter certains débordements, et de protéger les utilisateurs qui n'ont pas toujours le degré de culture numérique pour comprendre ce qui se trame derrière ces "nouvelles technologies". C'est exactement pour cela que certaines initiatives comme everyone.AI voient le jour et sont nécessaires pour éveiller les consciences et veiller à ce que bon usage desdites nouvelles technologies soit fait ! Une chose est en tout cas très claire : Le problème n'est pas au niveau de la technologie, mais des usages et destinations de celle-ci...

Always think about the new jobs a technology could create! A lot of times people have a cost-focus on new technologies. This is dangerous as it focuses on job destruction (i.e. Lowering costs through stealing human jobs). Instead, people should have a revenue-focus. Asking ourselves how these new technologies can create new jobs that employ new people? Such that we are creative first, rather than destructive.

Ultimately, social impact needs to be included on the list of topics that a new technology needs to account for. In the quest for ONLY more productivity and profitability, social impact may be seen as an obstacle rather than a way to future-proof the technology and any business built around it.