How Afua Bruce is Helping to Co-Create a Better Tech Future | Responsible Tech Guide Interview
Afua Bruce (Author, The Tech That Comes Next and Principal, ANB Advisory Group) discusses thorny tech & society issues, how her work contributes to tackling big tech issues, and her vision for a better tech future. This interview was conducted for All Tech Is Human’s Responsible Tech Guide.
The Responsible Tech Guide is designed to inform, inspire, and illuminate pathways for individuals to expand their impact in the Responsible Tech ecosystem. Following our three pillars for change (community, education, careers), the Responsible Tech Guide features actionable ways to grow your community, increase your knowledge, and better understand career pathways.
In your opinion, what is the biggest tech & society issue we are currently facing?
One of the biggest tech and society issues we currently face is the same issue we have faced for the last several decades: systemic exclusion from technical design, development, and implementation processes. Various technological and societal structures marginalize some communities, limiting their access to and participation in tech development. As a result, we see products that don’t work for everyone, algorithms that harm certain populations, technical infrastructure with negative side effects on environmental and personal health, and technical implementations that prevent people from accessing resources to which they are legally entitled.
How does your role help tackle thorny tech & society issues?
In my current role, I support organizations across sectors to develop and sustain public interest tech projects. Whether working with funders to design and run various grant and investment programs, or with nonprofits to develop strong technical and organizational strategies, or with the private sector to build responsible tech products and resources, I support leaders in tackling tech and society issues through well-executed programs. I also do a fair amount of speaking and training on tech and society issues – sharing my own insights from studying and working across the growing field. Finally, I get to develop partnerships and work in collaboration with a number of phenomenal leaders in different sectors.
How did your career grow, and what advice would you give to others wanting to be in a similar position?
I started my career as a software engineer at IBM. After taking a leave of absence from IBM to get my MBA, I joined the FBI as a Special Advisor and held several leadership positions in various science and technology strategy and program management roles. Being at the FBI showed me how intertwined technology, policy, and society are; I knew I wanted to do more work at that intersection. My career moves from the FBI, to the White House, to a think tank, to a nonprofit, and now to leading a consulting firm have been driven by my desire to influence technology from various angles. My advice to people wanting to work in similar positions is to identify what matters most to you, and be open to working on those issues in different forms. Once I realized that interdisciplinary, collaborative, and inclusive science and technology in the public interest mattered to me, I was open to new partnerships and new places.
“My vision for a better tech future is one where technology truly centers equity and justice, enabling people to support their communities, run their businesses, and explore their interests.” - Afua Bruce
What backgrounds or voices would you like to see more of in the Responsible Tech ecosystem?
All Tech is Human has done a good job of including many voices in conversations about how to build responsible technologies. The community should continue to work towards reflecting the racial, ethnic, socio-economic, and ability diversity of the world. I would also like to hear more voices from a wider range of science and technology fields. Especially with the growth of generative AI, responsible tech affects everything from how spacecraft is designed to how new materials are discovered to how drugs are developed to how roads are constructed; subject matter experts from all these disciplines should be included in the responsible tech ecosystem. Finally, we need more storytellers and artists to help tell what’s possible with more responsible technology and to help people imagine a better future.
What is your vision of a better tech future and how can we move towards that vision?
My vision for a better tech future is one where technology truly centers equity and justice, enabling people to support their communities, run their businesses, and explore their interests. Realizing that vision requires collaboration across sectors, including changemakers, technologists, social impact organizations, and funders, to improve tech design and development processes. Additionally, I would like to see more work done on sustainable business models and funding structures for responsible tech work; without advancements in this area, I worry we will see a number of great short-term changes and successes, but fewer long-term, large-scale impacts.
About All Tech Is Human
All Tech Is Human is a non-profit committed to building the world’s largest multistakeholder, multidisciplinary network in Responsible Tech. This allows us to tackle wicked tech & society issues while moving at the speed of tech, leverage the collective intelligence of the community, and diversify the traditional tech pipeline. Together, we work to solve tech & society’s thorniest issues.
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