Some questions that should be asked about every new piece of tech:
- Does it actually work?
- What are its side effects, especially for ecosystems, communities and the physical/chemical state of the natural environment?
- What’s the lifetime carbon cost?
- What’s the lifetime energy cost? If renewables, how much capacity is that taking away decarbonising the grid?
- Will scale-up cause damage?
- Who benefits most from it and who will control/regulate it for the public good?
#climate #tech
My first thought too, specifically exclusion of / discrimination against. 😬
@Light_Journeys @dailyturnout @helenczerski
I think they could be explicit questions:
Who is excluded from any benefit by design? (the lack of #accessibility considerations)
ie: the #bias against skin color in automated systems, lack of alt-text caption in image/video encodings, lacking security and safety for marginalized people, indifference in automated-vehicle road colonization…
Each benefit/harm/exclusion, social & physical, as separate questions. The climate is an #intersectional space.
@internet_seer @dailyturnout @helenczerski
Yeeeeeessss - but I think they have to *be* those specific questions, not just "Who is excluded from any benefit by design?" - mostly because I think biases wouldn't occur to them, and if they had, the developers might gloss over them ("Of *course* they are fine!") - AND I think they should have to 'show their work'. (Prove they thought about it & consulted with the relevant population.)
It's *such* a huge job - but when it's done well, WOW. 😊
@internet_seer @dailyturnout @helenczerski
insert something here about 'knowing it's great design when you don't trip over it'. 😄 ✅
@Light_Journeys
Yes, very agree!
I think* of how in the USA patent system you have to show prior works etc, and how a regulatory body (cosmopolitan, multistakeholder) should have oversight of human technology’s deployment at the least. Although original post didn’t distinguish from research, development, and deployment.
* admittedly I only have a passing awareness of the patent system in the US, and don’t actually know how functional it is in implementation…
@helenczerski
The only question unregulated capitalism asks about every new piece of tech:
- Does stock line go up?
@helenczerski we are continuously hampered by what I call Level 1 thinking, essentially see problem, here is solution to problem (whether a real problem or not), therefore it’s fixed but don’t ask “what are the consequences to doing this?”.
The points you make are spot on and excellent.
@helenczerski weren't the "whole earth catalog" crew trying to teach us that stuff for decades? or was it just my reading of science fiction as a kid?
i vaguely recall an article analysing this kind of stuff for pencil erasers and auto tires. was it in the science column of one of the science fiction mags? soooooo loooong ago.
but we don't learn i guess.
@helenczerski Here's the problem:
"Does it work?"
"No. Can't work. Would require trillions-with-a-t of research"
"But people are excited?"
"Super excited. They're lining up to throw money."
"Awesome! I'll crank up the hype machine. You put together a smoke and mirrors demo. We sell it on Monday."
"What about the other questions?"
"Well, it doesn't actually work, so it doesn't actually work at scale and none of the questions really matter."
"Oh."
"Buck up lad. We're gonna be rich!"
@helenczerski
And the only question that does get asked....
Will it make us rich
There *are* tools to adress the environmental impact of products: Life Cycle Assesment (LCA).
Sadly, in most cases, LCA is used by corporations to greenwash their products by chosing arbitrary system boundaries (everything is connected and there are thousands of indirect effects up- or downstream that are indeed very difficult to calculate) and usually low-quality average values for the different parameters are used (regional differences are rarely taken into account: there is a difference if you throw away the packaging in Slovenia or in the US*).
And there is a general lack of data. Direct emissions are not so difficult, you can even put a price tag (that will be definitely too low, but still...). But how in Xs name do you put a number on biodiversity loss?
Some companies are really trying and use LCA to make good decisions based on data. But don't trust the big ones. Nestle & co employ armies of desktop sustainability PR staff to fool concerned consumers and legislators with fake numbers.
And, you are totally right: LCA does not integrate long-term effects on society or more complex issues like inequality.
Notwithstandig, there are people working in this field since the 60-70s. The German word is hilarious: "Technikfolgenabschätzung" (= estimation of effects of technology).
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_assessment
But apparently, these institutions either didn't do a good job, or (more probable) their warning voices weren't listened.
Take care and read about the Luddites (you'll be surprised):
https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-future-encyclopedia-of-luddism/
* Because Slovenia has waay better recycling facilities than the US. Just saying, if somebody had thought otherwise...🤔
@helenczerski
#Technikfolgenabschätzung #TechnologyAssessment #LifeCycleAssessment #LCA
#Luddites #Luddism #Technology
Also, since everything wants to use the cloud somehow:
Does it require a network connection?
If so:
- Has it been security audited by a 3rd party and the audit results published?
- Does it give up *ANY* personal information?
- Can the manufacturer *EVER* brick it if they are unhappy?
Plus, what's the *opportunity cost* of pursuing this technology rather than another?
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