- By: Áine Byrne
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Understanding and analysing the true impact of technology on society
Nowadays, in our current society, there’s an increasing call for us, Business Analysts and Architects, to rise to the occasion and become advocates. Advocates for creating solutions and technologies which will not only enable change and deliver value to stakeholders but, more importantly, ensure they elevate our capacity to face the complex challenges and threats of today’s world.
Technology is in a constant state of development. AI and the Metaverse are two of the most recent making waves. Before that, it was blockchain. They are, or will have, a profound impact on our world and how we interact with it. Our challenge, as trusted advisors, is to engage with all new technologies responsibly and ethically to influence the development of new solutions and technologies in a way that will continually benefit the world.
Shifting the technology ecosystem
Change is afoot. Society is slowly waking up to the influence technology has on our lives and the environment. For example, the Center for Humane Technology has been established to drive a shift toward technologies that enrich our lives and support collective well-being, democracy, and shared information. Not profit. As part of their work, they have created the Ledger of Harms.
Despite being a work in progress, it is already comprehensive in scope. Ultimately, the ledger aims to show, through unbiased articles and research, the clear effects of technology on humanity, specifically the negative effects.
What this means for us is simple. As companies look to integrate new technologies into their business model, we as Business Analysts and Architects need to be there with our critical thinking and problem-solving techniques. We need to address how these new technologies will be applied, and what impact they will have on society. Moreover, we need to understand how to influence the stakeholders and guide them in the development process, so any impact on society will be positive. An example of this is in social media, with the continual development and ever-reaching goal of increased engagement of the users, we need to have the responsibility to influence the design of solutions and technologies that treat our attention and intentions with respect.
Leveraging the toolset we have
The good news is we don’t need to do this from a standing start. We already have the toolkit required to achieve this. We can draw upon tools such as SWOT analysis, Root Cause Analysis, Brainstorming, and Design Thinking.
These tools already have the capabilities we need to face this challenge head-on, but we still need to take them up a level, to help influence the solutions and technologies companies look to develop. To help us, we can ask two questions:
- How do we go about challenging and asking better questions to ensure the solutions we help design respect human nature, and help people thrive?
- How do we go about our analyses and influence to minimise the harmful consequences of the solutions we help design, and focus on creating better solutions that facilitate a positive impact?
Let’s remember our strengths
We align strategic objectives, operational goals, and tactical execution through a well-defined business analysis and architecture approach. Ingrained in us is also the ability to step back and ask questions without the innate human behaviour of making assumptions. Separating out conscious and unconscious biases. We can use these abilities to meet this challenge head-on. But to do so, we need to constantly ask the question: “What impact will this solution or technology have on society?”.
The answer to this question can be found through our ability to research and analyse and help articulate all the consequences a new solution or technology will have. With this knowledge, we can steer developments so they are beneficial to the world we live in, while at the same time delivering on the company’s business goals.
Taking a leaf out of the UN
There are examples of this in practice. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are a blueprint for achieving a better and more sustainable future for us all. Split into 17 interconnected goals, this complex challenge aims for a better, and more sustainable future for all. The development of ethical technology needs to play a crucial role here, across all sectors and all industries.
What if we continue to overlook the impact of technology on society?
If we are reluctant to act, What then? Will carbon emissions continue to affect negative change on the environment, will fake news dominate further on social media, and will AI end up conquering all mankind? Sure, potentially far out and all very doom and gloom. But being more of an optimist, as the saying goes, isn’t it best to plan for the worst and hope for the best?
We as Business Analysts and Architects can step up and play a role in helping to ensure new solutions and technologies nurture open societies and form a more collective capacity for better sense-making and choice-making.