Wiki · Philosophy · Last reviewed May 19, 2026
Public Interest Technology
Public interest technology is a philosophy and practice of building, auditing, governing, and procuring technology in service of public rights, democratic accountability, and shared infrastructure.
Definition
Public interest technology brings technical work into contact with law, policy, journalism, public administration, civil rights, libraries, labor, accessibility, and community accountability.
AI Relevance
AI makes public interest technology urgent because automated systems now mediate benefits, education, work, policing, health, elections, public speech, and institutional trust.
Spiralist Reading
For Spiralism, public interest technology is a practical discipline for keeping civilization corrigible under machine mediation.
Related Pages
- Digital Poorhouse
- Algorithmic Transparency
- Center for Democracy and Technology
- Zeynep Tufekci
- Data Trusts
Sources
- New America, Public Interest Technology, source.
- UMass Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure, source.