20+ Organizations In the San Francisco Bay Area You Should Know About
We are excited for our upcoming event with the Tony Blair Institute at Internet Archive! There is way more to the San Francisco Bay Area than being the Big Tech hub of the United States, so we wanted to highlight organizations in the area doing work in tech policy, the Human Experience (HX), and more! Make sure to check out the All Tech Is Human Linktree to see all of our projects, events, and ways you can get involved!
Here are 20+ organizations located in the San Francisco Bay Area you should know about!
AI4ALL
AI4ALL (@ai4allorg) “At AI4ALL, we think about AI as a branch of computer science that allows computers to make predictions and decisions to solve problems. When you hear that AI is being used in a product, that usually refers to an area of AI called machine learning. Machine learning (ML) is an approach to teach computers how to make decisions and predictions, by giving them the ability to learn from data.” ai-4-all.org/
RESOURCE(S): Programs & Talent: Open Learning, Summer Programs, College Pathways, Changemakers in AI
AI for Peace
AI for Peace (@AI4Peace) “At AI for Peace, we believe AI has the potential to change our lives substantially in the next decade. It can lead to rapid improvement of our lives and welfare, but it can also lead to negative consequences, even if that is not the intention…We believe that with a technology as powerful and complex as AI, constructive dialogue and engagement between academia, industry and civil society is critical to maximizing the benefits and minimizing the risks to human rights, democracy and human security.” aiforpeace.org/
RESOURCE(S): AI Explained: Non-technical Guide for Policymakers
Article One
Article One (@UDHROne) “Article One is a specialized strategy and management consultancy with expertise in human rights, responsible innovation, and social impact. We partner with the world’s leading companies to drive transformative change that places people at the center of business.” articleoneadvisors.com/
RESOURCE(S): Best Practice Case Studies, Resource Guide
Aspen Tech Policy Hub
Aspen Tech Policy Hub (@AspenPolicyHub) “The Aspen Tech Policy Hub is a West Coast policy incubator, training a new generation of policy entrepreneurs. Modeled after tech incubators like Y Combinator, we take STEM experts, teach them the policy process through fellowship and executive education programs, and encourage them to develop outside-the-box solutions to society’s problems.” aspentechpolicyhub.org/
RESOURCE(S): Policy 101s, Advancing Students’ Digital Rights
Center for Applied Data Ethics - University of San Francisco
Center for Applied Data Ethics - University of San Francisco (@DataInstituteSF) “At the Center for Applied Data Ethics (CADE), we are working to address ethical issues such as the magnification of unjust bias, increased surveillance, spread of disinformation, alarming uses of predictive policing, a lack of accountability for tech companies, and more. Our focus is on having a direct, practical impact. Our inaugural year is funded by a generous donation from Craig Newmark (founder of Craigslist). Our work includes a mix of education, research, public policy, and civil advocacy.” usfca.edu/data-institute/initiatives/center-applied-data-ethics
Center for Humane Technology
Center for Humane Technology (@HumaneTech_) “Together with our partners, the Center for Humane Technology (CHT) is dedicated to radically reimagining our digital infrastructure. Our mission is to drive a comprehensive shift toward humane technology that supports our well-being, democracy, and shared information environment.” humanetech.com/
RESOURCE(S): Foundations of Humane Technology: An Online Course For Professionals Shaping Tomorrow’s Technology
Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media (@CommonSense) “Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century…We combine original research with game-changing advocacy efforts to make the digital world work better for all kids. Our advocacy work highlights legislation related to technology and identifies solutions that protect consumer privacy, push for better connectivity for students and families, and hold tech companies accountable to ensure a healthy internet for all.” commonsensemedia.org/
RESOURCE(S): For Parents, For Educators, For Advocates
Community Tech Network
Community Tech Network (@commtechnetwork) “Community Tech Network (CTN) works to transform lives through digital literacy…Our programs connect organizations to individuals and resources in support of digital inclusion throughout the Bay Area and Central Texas. Through our volunteer program, CTN recruits, trains, supports, and places skilled and dedicated individuals who want to help teach computer skills.”
Encode Justice
Encode Justice “We’re a coalition of youth activists and changemakers fighting for human rights, accountability, and justice under AI. Harnessing a global network of volunteers from all over the United States and World, we champion informed AI policy and encourage youth to confront the challenges of the age of automation through political advocacy, community organizing, educational programming, and content creation.”
RESOURCE(S): Blog
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Electronic Frontier Foundation (@EFF) “The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development. EFF's mission is to ensure that technology supports freedom, justice, and innovation for all people of the world.” eff.org/
RESOURCE(S): Whitepapers, Legal Cases
Greenlining Institute
Greenlining Institute (@Greenlining) “Founded in 1993, The Greenlining Institute is committed to building a just economy that is inclusive, cooperative, sustainable, participatory, fair, and healthy. Our multifaceted advocacy efforts address the root causes of racial, economic, and environmental inequities in order to meaningfully transform the material conditions of communities of color in California and across the country. We act as an incubator of new policy ideas, a bridge builder between people, communities and government, and an advocate to build momentum for transformative change.”
RESOURCE(S): Technology Equity
Human Rights Center at the University of California Berkeley School of Law
Human Rights Center at the UC Berkeley School of Law (@hrcberkeley) “The Human Rights Center at the UC Berkeley School of Law promotes human rights and international justice worldwide and trains the next generation of human rights researchers and advocates…We are an independent research and training center that applies innovative technologies and scientific methods to investigate war crimes and other serious violations of human rights.” humanrights.berkeley.edu/programs-projects/tech
RESOURCE(S): Publications
Institute for Human-Centered AI
Institute for Human-Centered AI (@StanfordHAI) "The mission of HAI is to advance AI research, education, policy and practice to improve the human condition. Led by faculty from multiple departments across Stanford, research focuses on developing AI technologies inspired by human intelligence; studying, forecasting and guiding the human and societal impact of AI; and designing and creating AI applications that augment human capabilities...What’s unique about HAI is that it balances diverse expertise and integration of AI across human-centered systems and applications in a setting that could only be offered by Stanford University. Stanford’s seven leading schools on the same campus, including a world-renown computer science department, offer HAI access to multidisciplinary research from top scholars.” hai.stanford.edu
Institute for Security and Technology
Institute for Security and Technology (@IST_org) “The Institute for Security and Technology designs and advances solutions to the world’s toughest emerging security threats. It is a nonpartisan, nonprofit network based in the San Francisco Bay Area dedicated to solving critical international security challenges through better technology and policy.” https://securityandtechnology.org/
RESOURCE(S): Digital Cognition & Democracy Initiative
My Digital TAT2
My Digital TAT2 (@MyDigitalTAT2) “My Digital TAT2 is addressing how to build healthy habits, critical thinking, and thoughtful online behavior in order to integrate technology into our lives in a constructive way…Founded by a child psychologist and social worker, MDT2 is rooted in a positive approach that empowers technology and focuses on not being afraid of it. Technology and the online world is something that carries a heavy responsibility, yet is an incredibly powerful tool. As families and communities face this world full of new tools, apps, rules, and new challenges, we partner with them to encourage more responsible technology use.” mydigitaltat2.org/
RESOURCE(S): Teen Empowerment, Tips for Parenting in the Digital Age
Partnership on AI
Partnership on AI (@PartnershipAI) “Partnership on AI (PAI) is a non-profit partnership of academic, civil society, industry, and media organizations creating solutions so that AI advances positive outcomes for people and society. By convening diverse, international stakeholders, we seek to pool collective wisdom to make change. We are not a trade group or advocacy organization…We develop tools, recommendations, and other resources by inviting voices from across the AI community and beyond to share insights that can be synthesized into actionable guidance. We then work to drive adoption in practice, inform public policy, and advance public understanding. Through dialogue, research, and education, PAI is addressing the most important and difficult questions concerning the future of AI.” partnershiponai.org/
RESOURCE(S): Resources
SecondMuse
SecondMuse (@secondmuse) “At its heart, SecondMuse is a group of people working vigorously to better the world we live in. We do this by putting people first, boldly challenging ourselves to find solutions to complex issues and fearlessly introducing new ideas that may, at times, seem impossible.” secondmuse.com/
RESOURCE(S): Current Programs
Stanford Psychiatry Center for Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing
Stanford Psychiatry Center for Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing (@StanfordPSY) “Their Media and Mental Health Initiative co-designs with youth and implements interventions to support the mental health and wellbeing of young people ages 12-25, including the youth-led #goodformedia project.” med.stanford.edu/psychiatry/special-initiatives/youthwellbeing.html
RESOURCE(S): Good for Media project
Thoughtful Technology Project
Thoughtful Technology Project “The Thoughtful Technology Project aims to ensure that emerging technology does not irreversibly harm our information ecosystem — that we use our new powers wisely to build a positive future…We provide insight, practices, and infrastructure to help navigate through the challenges and opportunities ahead.”
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change | London office as well
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (@InstituteGC) “Helping leaders & governments to deliver for their people…We equip political leaders and governments to build open, inclusive and prosperous societies in an interconnected global world.” institute.global/
RESOURCE(S): What We Do
XRSI - XR Safety Initiative
XRSI - XR Safety Initiative (@XRSIdotorg)“XR Safety Initiative (XRSI) is a 501(c)(3) worldwide not-for-profit organization that promotes privacy, security, and ethics in the immersive environments (virtual reality, mixed reality, and augmented reality). Our mission is to help build safe and inclusive experiences so that XR stakeholders are able to make informed and decisions. We do so by discovering novel cybersecurity, privacy, and ethical risks and proposing potential solutions to mitigate them.”xrsi.org/