Who's Accountable for Technology's Impact on Society?

New data strengthens the case for shared, actionable frameworks on Responsible Innovation

Who’s accountable for tech’s impact on society?

Nearly 1500 members of the tech community shared their thoughts in our new Responsible Innovation Report, published in partnership with General Catalyst and powered by Qualtrics. 

There were three key takeaways:

1. Technology executives, employees and an informed public agree: Founders and investors have special responsibility for the companies they build and fund. 80% of respondents think founders should focus equally on building companies with positive financial AND societal returns. And 63% agree that investors should be held accountable for the unintended consequences of their investments. Just over 50% of tech leaders think employees can influence change too. 

2. Respondents think more needs to be done on responsible innovation and urgently. 73% think it’s an immediate or big priority to implement a standard for Responsible Innovation across the tech industry. A majority (80%) think practices like Responsible Innovation should represent the future of the industry. 

3. Builders need tools. 64% of respondents believe that without frameworks, the tech industry will deliver more negative societal impact than positive. That’s why we’ll be sharing an early version of our Responsible Innovation Roadmap at the Responsible Innovation Founders Summit on November 10th. Be an early contributor and help us improve on what we hope can guide founders to build ambitious technology companies with societal responsibility at the core, from day one to teams of 500+. 

Visit the report (www.rilabs.org/report) and learn more about responsible innovation at the RI Founders Summit on November 10th: https://bit.ly/3MgGCeP