About Tech Stewardship and Its Importance

In today’s world, where technology is pivotal in addressing societal problems, our approach to its development often focuses solely on immediate impacts and feasibility. As developers and innovators, we sometimes ask, “Can we do this?” without adequately addressing the long-term implications or asking the more significant question: “Should we do this?” This narrow focus can result in solutions with unintended consequences, benefiting only a select few while ignoring broader societal and environmental impacts.

To counteract this tendency, Tech Stewardship has emerged as a movement committed to fostering purposeful, inclusive, and regenerative technologies that prioritise long-term benefits for everyone.

What is Tech Stewardship?

Launched in 2015, Tech Stewardship brings together diverse leaders to shape technology for the greater good. It challenges the notion that technology is value-neutral and posits that our values actively shape and are shaped by technology. For example, think of how most mobile technologies work in the context of data privacy. Their design encourages you to surrender your privacy more, no matter how you value it.

This movement emphasises understanding and addressing value tensions—situations where two values, such as privacy versus openness, conflict. By recognising these tensions, Tech Stewards can navigate complex scenarios and create balanced solutions that align with shared goals.

At its core, three commitments guide Tech Stewardship:

Advancing Understanding: Expanding awareness of how technology influences our lives while challenging harmful stereotypes and narratives.
Deliberating Values: Recognizing how values influence the technologies we create and fostering dialogue around these values.
Practising Behaviours: Committing to actions that ensure technology benefits all in the short and long term.

Tech Stewardship Behaviours

Practising Tech Stewardship involves four essential behaviours:

Seek Purpose: Focus on achieving positive outcomes for everyone, not just immediate stakeholders.

For example, while developing an AI tool, ask questions like:
How does this solution serve local and global communities?
How can we balance short-term gains with long-term sustainability?
By addressing these questions, we can ensure that our solutions are meaningful and impactful across various levels.

2. Take Responsibility: Proactively manage the intended and unintended impacts of technology.

Critical questions to consider include:
What risks could arise throughout the lifecycle of this technology?
How can we address and adapt to unforeseen consequences?
For instance, self-driving car developers should consider technical feasibility and ethical implications, like accident accountability.

3. Expand Inclusion: Broaden the decision-making process to include diverse perspectives and stakeholders.

This behaviour encourages inviting voices from marginalised communities to co-create solutions. For example, designing accessible websites should involve input from individuals with disabilities.

4. Work to Regenerate: Strive to enhance the systems we interact with, prioritising environmental, social, and economic well-being.

For example, using renewable materials in technology manufacturing reduces environmental harm while creating sustainable solutions for future generations.

Balancing Value Tensions

In addressing value tensions, Tech Stewardship emphasises a both/and approach rather than an either/or mindset. For example:

Instead of prioritising information security over information sharing, find a balance that ensures robust security while fostering collaboration.
Similarly, in balancing privacy and openness, strive to integrate both to create secure yet transparent systems.

This balanced perspective allows us to craft solutions that meet the needs of diverse stakeholders while respecting fundamental values.

Tech Stewardship’s Unique Contribution

One of the most significant contributions of Tech Stewardship is its focus on answering the question: “Should we do this?” While technological innovation often emphasises “Can we do it?” Tech Stewardship bridges the gap between these two perspectives.

This approach draws insights from disciplines like:

Social Sciences and Humanities (aligned with “Should we do it?”): Providing ethical, philosophical, and cultural frameworks to evaluate the broader implications of technology.
Engineering and Applied Sciences (aligned with “Can we do it?”): Driving innovation and technical feasibility.
Fields like Architecture and City Planning (situated in between): Balancing technical execution with societal needs.

By integrating these perspectives, Tech Stewardship ensures that technological advancements align with ethical considerations, community needs, and long-term sustainability.

Conclusion

Tech Stewardship is not just a practice—it’s a movement toward responsible innovation. We can create technologies that benefit everyone by advancing understanding, deliberating values, and practising purposeful behaviours. Whether it’s balancing privacy and openness, expanding inclusion, or addressing unintended impacts, Tech Stewardship equips us to make thoughtful, ethical, and sustainable decisions.

As we navigate the rapidly evolving technological landscape, the question is not just, “What can we achieve?” but also, “What should we achieve, and how can we ensure it benefits all?”

References:

Tech Stewardship Practise Program: https://programs.techstewardship.com/