Better Tech:
Putting People First in Cyberspace
Better Tech is an actionable playbook of responsible design, development, use, and regulatory strategies that can be used by everyone to reduce technology’s risks and advance the public good, from policy makers to students and general readers.
From an award-winning pioneer in data infrastructure and leader in public interest technology.
“Thank goodness for this book, and for Francine Berman’s rare mix of clarity and expertise. Better Tech is an essential, commonsense guide to making emerging technologies answerable to the public interest.”
— Jill Lepore, author of The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State
We’re building technology to make life better. So why are so many of us spending time protecting our kids from it, wondering if we can trust it, dealing with its consequences, and worrying whether AI will make humanity extinct?
Beyond building technology to be smarter and faster, we need to make it safer and better for the people who depend on it.
Much of today’s technology has become essential to modern life — digital critical infrastructure — but today’s apps and services are largely built to prioritize profit and competitive advantage over public protections. Rampant security breaches, unwanted surveillance, predators, and misinformation have all become just a normal part of cyberspace.
What if tech was built and managed to empower and protect the people who rely on it?
In Better Tech, Francine Berman explores this question for social media, AI chatbots, search engines, and other digital technologies central to everyday life.
An essential and ultimately hopeful playbook of clear, actionable strategies for today’s world, Better Tech helps readers understand both technology’s risks and what each of us can do about them.