Praise for Technology Is Not Neutral: A Short Guide to Technology Ethics
“Do we need a Hippocratic Oath for technology? Hare makes a strong case for why we might. Technology can be used for good or bad purposes, but rarely is it neutral. From facial recognition technology to Covid-19 exposure notification apps, this book explains why good intentions can so often lead to bad results.”
— “Best Summer books of 2022: Technology”, Financial Times
“I strongly recommend this book. It’s essential reading for policymakers and anyone working in technology, business and finance looking for a practical guide to the increasingly critical field of tech ethics. It’s for all those concerned about issues such as privacy, data ownership and identity theft.”
— “The Best Books of 2022 So Far, Picked by FT Readers”, Financial Times
“Our globe-spanning economy, and our social interactions, depend on ever more pervasive digital technology, controlled by governments and multinational conglomerates. We’re confronted by trade-offs between security, privacy and freedom. Stephanie Hare offers the overview that concerned citizens need to ensure that these potentially scary tools aren’t misused. Her book deserves wide readership.”
— Professor Lord Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal and author of On the Future: Prospects for Humanity
“A highly readable and enlightening introduction to the ethics of technology – with none of the usual finger-wagging! You’ll never look at your cell phone the same way again.”
— Stuart Russell, Professor of Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley and author of Human Compatible: AI and the Problem of Control
“An important and very timely contribution to our current debate over the power of Big Tech and the seemingly inexorable advance of artificial intelligence. Using telling examples from the past and the present, Hare obliges the reader to consider the price humanity can pay for new technologies and how we can and must think ethically about their use.”
— Margaret MacMillan, Emeritus Professor of International History, University of Oxford
“Hare has addressed one of the biggest questions confronting us all — how we can create and use tech to maximize benefits and minimize harm — with great clarity, wisdom, and confidence. Drawing on the insights of numerous academic fields as well as concrete, real-world examples, this is an extremely useful guide to thinking about what we should ask of technology.”
— Adam Segal, Director, Digital and Cyberspace Policy Program, Council on Foreign Relations
“Technology Is Not Neutral is a clear-eyed look into the real-world and immediate implications of technological systems. The book provides a cautious but optimistic view of the potential for humankind to create responsive and responsible technology, using an interdisciplinary focus that is both engaging and empowering to the reader.”
— Dr Rumman Chowdhury, director of Machine Learning Ethics, Transparency, and Accountability at Twitter
“Hare forces us to think critically and with intentionality about the chaos factories beneath the innocent surface of the technology that surrounds us. A thought-provoking, humorous and sometimes frightening look at an issue that needs our urgent attention, from the leading voice in technology ethics. Put the ethics of the ubiquitous cell phones, televisions, apps, surveillance cameras and national identity cards on your radar, and use this book as your guide.”
— Rob Chesnut, former Chief Ethics Officer at Airbnb and author of Intentional Integrity: How Smart Companies Can Lead An Ethical Revolution
“This is a state-of-the-art overview of the tech ethics landscape. An original, lucid, extraordinarily comprehensive and compelling account of what we are now having to grapple with in the age of AI and of how we can find a trustworthy way forward whilst learning some stark lessons from the pandemic.”
— Lord Clement-Jones CBE
“One of the most common cop-outs for not taking responsibility for technology is that ‘tools are neutral’. If you want to understand why technology is not neutral, and what some of the implications of this are, read this book. A compelling call to develop a culture of technology ethics.”