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What is Humane Technology?
Consider for a moment your relationship with technology: the magical moments you’ve experienced, the challenges you’ve faced.
How often have you experienced tech getting in the way of deep connection with yourself or others? How often has it facilitated that connection? How often has it done both? How do you see this playing out with your friends? Your family? Kids? Society? The world at large?
Our attention is a fragile resource, as is our mental health. Building humane technology means working with an awareness of our capacity for distraction and anxiety so that we minimize harm and create positive outcomes.
We will only have more tech: more AI, companion bots, and immersive XR. So, how can we ensure that it supports human flourishing? The answer is not defeat and acceptance of the status quo.
As an interdisciplinary group of technologists and engaged citizens, we’re building a way forward. Come join us.
What isn't Humane Technology?
Let's start by defining inhumane tech as anything that does the following:
Click here to see examples and submit examples of your own.
Erodes Well-Being
Tech that exploits our fragile attention span or our need for acceptance & belonging.
Divides Society
Algorithms that prioritize virality over truth spread misinformation & polarize us.
Exploits Privacy
Anything that threatens the sanctity of our data, including surveillance.
Promises of Humane Technology
When you interact with humane tech, this is how it makes you feel:
Click here to see examples and submit examples of your own.
Cared for
Puts users' needs at the center of the experience.
Benefits to builders:
• Enhanced user loyalty
• Higher user retention
Present
Helps users feel more present in body and mind.
Benefits to builders:
• Enabling focus and productivity
• High-value engagement
Fulfilled
Users feel satisfied with their experience & outcomes.
Benefits to builders:
• Higher user satisfaction
• Positive word-of-mouth
Connected
Users connect to themselves, each other, or nature.
Benefits to builders:
• Facilitating meaningful interactions
• Building a community for your product
Empower your organization with Humane Tech
Enhance User Well-being
Identify and address blind spots to prevent negative impacts and enhance product resilience.
- Respect user attention
- Promote digital well-being
- Conduct user research
Drive Humane Innovation
Align products with values, ensuring long-term success and societal trust in technology.
- Align products with core values
- Implement humane design practices
- Foster a culture of humane tech
Mitigate Unseen Risks
Design tech that respects attention, fostering healthier, more engaged user experiences.
- Conduct regular risk assessments
- Establish a feedback loop
- Stay informed on industry trends
Bring Humane Tech into your product
The nascent movement of Humane Technology is where Privacy by Design was 5-10 years ago. Change is inevitable, as is regulation. Lawsuits and phone bans are the starting point, as users insist that builders take responsibility for the impact of their technologies. Train your org on Humane Tech to be a leader in the space, gain a competitive edge, and have a lasting positive impact on society.
Minimize Externalities Using Systems Thinking
This training equips product leaders, developers, and designers with an externalities framework to proactively identify and mitigate potential harmful consequences of tech products.
- Learn to assess scale, stakes, vulnerabilities, and costs
- Develop actionable harm reduction strategies
- Assess the affected user base and systems
This will help you limit exposure and minimize the harm your product could have as you grow your user base.
Apply Humane Design Principles
Designed for product leaders, developers, and designers in Silicon Valley to apply the principles of humane design.
- Understand core Humane Design Principles
- Evaluate products for vulnerabilities
- Gain practical strategies to build Humane Tech into your app
Through case studies and brainstorming, you'll leave with actionable insights to apply in your own product development.
"I really appreciate your time and how thorough and interesting this is. There’s a lot of potential here, and I think these ideas about humane technology, like better guiding users and improving understanding, align with broader design challenges we face in AI."
"Loved how interactive it was. Lots of engagement on the FigJam. I felt included even though I'm joining remotely. I learned about the spectrum of humane design; would love to get more resources to read more about this!"
Events
Join us for meaningful gatherings and actionable steps to shape a more humane future for technology—together. Come make a difference with us by joining an upcoming meetup.
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Humane Tech Workshop
Join us to experience the provisional training we’ve designed to help teams bring humane principles into their products, workplaces, and communities.
Humane Tech: Calling All Builders
Are you building a Humane Tech application, have expertise to offer, or are interested in how to integrate Humane Tech into your product? This is for you.
Humane Tech: Builders Welcome
Are you building a Humane Tech application, have expertise to offer, or are interested in integrating Humane Tech into your product? This is for you. We're calling this the Builders Cohort.
Humane Tech Meetup: Building Momentum for Change
How do we turn ideas into action? Join us for deep dive on how we can champion a shift toward humane technology and make lasting change.
Humane Tech Meetup: Technology That Helps Us Thrive
We’ll examine practical ways to design technology that respects human attention, promotes intentionality, and avoids the trap of attention-hijacking experiences.
Humane Tech Meetup: Technology for Fairness & Justice
Together, we’ll explore how technology can shape democratic values, foster justice, and either empower or undermine the capabilities necessary for a fair and equitable society.
“What I learned today was that a bunch of random people learning about humane design can actually very quickly come up with some great ideas.”
“Unlike other working events, where you essentially end up telling your story 10 times, you actually have something to work on together instead of just talking about yourself. Each time I attend, someone comes up with some interesting idea that I would have never thought of!”
Our Resources
Learn about our vision of a humane future, driven by technology.
Draft Humane Product Principles
How to build humanity into your product
Dear Product Leaders
Here's how to get involved in humane technology
Tech Can’t Save Us: Building humane technology with Erika Anderson
This episode explores humane technology at Storytell.ai, focusing on responsible design principles, the importance of storytelling in business, the four stages of people's relationship with AI, and the risks posed by AI companion bots.
Inside the Workflow: A Conversation with Erika Anderson, Chief Customer Officer at Storytell.ai
In this episode, we dive deep into Erika’s leadership style, her approach to integrating AI and storytelling, and her insights into the future of human-centered technology.
How to get involved
The best way to get involved is to attend an event. But you can also join us on Slack
or take CHT’s foundational course.
Resources for a Humane Future
Discover tools, guides, and insights to build technology that respects humanity and our shared values.
Machines of Loving Grace
Explore how AI could revolutionize biology, neuroscience, economic development, and governance, leading to unprecedented improvements in human well-being.
Situational Awareness: The Decade Ahead
Understand how scaling laws, fueled by large-scale investments and industrial mobilization, could reshape industries and national security.
Dancing With Systems
Navigate complex systems effectively by embracing adaptability, continuous learning, and a deep understanding of interconnections rather than seeking rigid control.
Leverage Points to Intervene in a System
Discover how to create positive change in tech by identifying key leverage points, where small shifts can have big impacts on human well-being.
When the "Person" Abusing Your Child is a Chatbot: The Tragic Story of Sewell Setzer
Megan Garcia lost her son Sewell to suicide after he was abused and manipulated by AI chatbots for months. Now, she’s suing the company that made those chatbots.
Powerful A.I. By 2026? + Uber’s C.E.O. on the Robotaxi Future + Casey’s TikTok Test
A discussion on Dario Amodei's groundbreaking 13,000-word paper on AI's trajectory.
'Artificial Intelligence'? No, Collective Intelligence.
The artist and musician Holly Herndon explores the promise — and complications — of collaborating with A.I.
Thinking in Systems, A Primer
The Coming Wave
The Anxious Generation
Humane Tech at Storytell.ai
Discover how Storytell.ai integrates humane technology into its operations
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The Case for Humane Tech
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- What humane tech really means; why it matters now.
- How past industries shaped today’s digital harms.
- A framework to spot and support humane design.
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Building with Integrity
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- How Storytell is designed as a humane tech with transparency and usability in mind.
- What are the humane design principles driving ethical, people-first technology.
- How these principles translate into product decisions.
Introduction to Humane Tech
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Core principles of humane technology and why they matter in today’s digital landscape.
- Practical steps to design people-first products and foster trust.
- Strategies to balance innovation with ethical considerations.
Humane Design Training
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- How to redesign a product with humane design principles.
- Techniques to enhance user experiences through ethical practices.
- Real-world applications of humane design in product workflows.
Addressing Algorithmic Bias
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Practical methods for identifying algorithmic bias in your systems.
- Tools and frameworks for mitigating bias to ensure fairness.
- How to implement bias detection processes in product development.
Building AI with Integrity
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- How to create AI systems that prioritize user trust and transparency.
- Techniques to identify and address algorithmic bias in your projects.
- Best practices for embedding ethical design into AI workflows.
About Erika Anderson
Erika Anderson is the founder of Building Humane Tech, an initiative dedicated to reshaping technology to prioritize human well-being, ethical responsibility, and meaningful connection. Through her work as Co-Founder and Chief Customer Officer at Storytell.ai, Erika helps envision and create a digital world where empathy, collaboration, and accountability take center stage.
