Tech Ethicists & Critics
Better Tech: Putting People First in Cyberspace
Francine Berman · 2026 · MIT Press
A public-interest technology pioneer argues that social media, AI chatbots and search engines should be built and managed like critical infrastructure — with the safety expectations we apply to roads, bridges and the power grid — and lays out responsible design, development, use and regulatory strategies.
Summary
“Technology powers our world. But we often give it the upper hand, treating tech solutions as right by default and accepting online risk as the price we have to pay.”
Francine Berman argues that social media, AI chatbots and search engines have become digital critical infrastructure, yet are largely built to prioritize profit and competitive advantage over public protections. She applies the risk-mitigation thinking used for roads, bridges, food systems and the electrical grid to cyberspace, and offers an actionable playbook of responsible design, development, use and regulatory strategies for reducing technology's risks and advancing the public good.
Summary based on the publisher's page ↗
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About the author
Francine Berman
Francine Berman is Director of Public Interest Technology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a Faculty Associate at Harvard's Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society.
Source: Publisher page ↗