How do we create and adopt new technologies without deepening inequalities?

Technology is often framed as an almost magical, unstoppable force. We’re either told that technology will solve all of our problems, or that technology will take our jobs, robots will rule the world, and all we can do is learn to live with it. How else could we understand this relationship?

Technology is a tool; its value depends on how it is applied and its impacts on society. Humans have created increasingly complex technologies to solve problems. But sometimes one person’s problem is another person’s solution. Whether we’re talking about shovels, tractors, smartphones, or spaceships, technologies can help us or they can work against us. Like everything else, who owns and controls it matters. How can we ensure that technology is driven by community needs and not corporate profits? How do we make sure new technologies include everyone, and not just the wealthy and powerful? Not all technology is necessary. When does it make sense to choose not to develop that next piece of military technology or corporate-controlled AI—and how do we make those decisions together in a democratic way?

Alfredo Lopez, a founder of May First Movement Technology, a cooperative membership organization that advances “the strategic use and collective control of technology for local struggles, global transformation, and emancipation without borders,” considers technology to be valuable when it is controlled by people—not by profit-hungry corporations. Decentralized and democratic ownership challenges the exploitation that we find in tech hubs from Silicon Valley to Singapore. For Roger Baig-Viñas of Guifi.net, a grassroots telecommunications network that brings internet access to previously unconnected communities in Spain, good technology is that which is accessible to a greater number of people while also serving to promote the exercise of other civil and human rights, such as free expression and open access to knowledge. Participation is critical; people and users must be included in decision-making processes and understand the implications and consequences of different technologies.

We can’t expect technology to solve social problems for us. Often technologies that seem to solve problems in one area can create other problems elsewhere. Solar panels and electric batteries, for instance, require mining rare metals and minerals in ways that harm communities and the earth. We must pay attention to the impact that our technological choices have on the world we’re trying to build, and we must ensure that the communities most impacted by technological change have a seat at the decision-making table. When communities control their technology, they can challenge monopolies and the unintended consequences that are rampant in big tech. We can begin by building on the work of organizations that show us that technology can be as diverse and creative as we are, and can be employed to serve the interests of everyone.