Our Mission

A message from our founders

Technological development is often viewed as a purely technical problem, disjoint from broader societal systems and structures. However, the forces that shape the creation of technology are also the same forces that shape its application. Consider how Clearview AI, a company with significant ties to white nationalism, created software that allows people to take a photo of a stranger without their permission and immediately obtain their name, address, occupation, and contacts. Clearview AI then sold this technology—which almost certainly misidentifies Black faces more often than white faces—to 600 law enforcement agencies across the country, some of which have used it to arrest protestors. While this technology itself is controversial, its application is neither original nor does it stand alone; rather, it builds on centuries of using facial analysis to uphold racist institutions.

In the midst of scandals like this, Stanford is helping to lead a national movement to prevent more Clearview AIs and ensure tech is built in the public interest. However, this is a nuanced and complicated challenge. For example, while mental health startups claim to use artificial intelligence to improve therapy, how many users' privacy must they violate before they cease to be "tech for social good"? Too often, the build-first mindset comes at the expense of thoughtful innovation. There is a need to slow down and rigorously assess what it means to build tech in the public interest before slapping a "public interest" or "social impact" label on every nonprofit organization, government agency, and corporate social responsibility initiative.

The PIT Lab believes that a purely technical view of technological development is making it harder to truly build technology in the public interest. If Stanford students aim to shape a better technological future for humanity, we must grapple with the broader political, economic, and social forces at play. We must closely analyze who is served and who is harmed by technological development. Its development should draw from perspectives in disciplines like politics, economics, and sociology. It should also be rooted in a deep understanding of the negative manifestations of power in society—racism, sexism, and classism among them. As technology does not exist in a vacuum, neither should Stanford’s technology ecosystem.

The PIT Lab is not the first to think this way. We see many scholars, organizations, and activists engaging with the difficult questions and challenges in the PIT space. Our intention is not to crowd this space simply for the sake of it, but to support others’ work and contribute meaningfully. The PIT Lab believes that building a community with interdisciplinary and diverse perspectives can foster serious contemplation and effective advocacy to support ongoing and new PIT efforts. In turn, we can better understand and realize technology’s ideal role in society.

Our organization focuses on the systems and structures that shape the development of technology, as well as how technological development can reinforce or dismantle those systems and structures. To do this, we host a broad range of discussions, classes, projects, research, and advocacy to help students explore public interest technology, grapple with its interpretations, and improve its implementation in practice. This includes projects around tech recruitment pipelines, research into racial justice in the tech ecosystem, and courses at the intersection of tech and policy. We also help connect students with external PIT opportunities, including internships, fellowships, and jobs.

Lines of code and chips of silicon are powering, and therefore shaping, systems and structures that affect real people. We believe that instilling a sense of responsibility, care, and humility during one’s formative college years is essential for a career of truly building systems and structures in the public interest. If you would like to join us in taking a more thoughtful approach toward the development of technology, the PIT Lab stands ready to welcome you. Together, we can start the long and difficult process of helping to shape a better technological future.

Constanza Hasselmann + Nik Marda
Co-Founders, PIT Lab