EPISODE 21: Dirty Ethics with David Ryan Polgar: Holding Ourselves Accountable for the Tech We Consume

Charlie is excited to finally have David Ryan Polgar (Tech Ethicist and Digital Citizen Expert) on the show! Together they demand to know: "Where's my Tesla?!!"

SHOW NOTES
“It’s not just about ethical thinking. It’s about changing the rules of the road.” — David Ryan Polgar
David Ryan Polgar

Charlie is excited to finally have David Ryan Polgar (Tech Ethicist and Digital Citizen Expert) on the show. For several years now, long before it became the hot topic in mainstream media and a matter of urgency in our society, David has espoused the need for us to be more thoughtful in how we implement emerging technologies and has warned of the negative side effects of not doing this.

David is the founder of All Tech Is Human, a hub and events community the hub for thoughtful tech that unites a broad range of technologists, academics, policymakers, advocates, organizations and students for discourse on the ethics of tech. He’s also co-host (along with comedian Joe Leonardo) of Funny as Tech (a live comedy show and podcast on emerging tech).

Charlie and David, who know each other from the New York tech scene (Charlie has even been a guest speaker on David’s Funny as Tech podcast), explore the difficulties of discussing ethics in technology including what’s NOT being discussed (are we in denial of our own personal ethics?). David shares what he believes are the big three issues we should really be paying attention to in tech ethics today. And finally, find out why Charlie and David demand to know: “Where’s my Tesla??!!!”

David will be guest speaker at Tech 2025’s next Dirty Ethics event which will be on the ethics of techlash. We can’t wait! 

Check out Charlie’s appearance on Funny as Tech here: http://bit.ly/2H4JpI0

David Ryan Polgar is a pioneering tech ethicist who paved the way for the hotly-debated issues around Facebook, privacy, ethical design, digital wellbeing, and what it means to be human in the digital age.

David is a 3-time TEDx speaker and tech writer (IBM thinkLeaders, Quartz, Dell Perspectives) whose has been featured on CBS This Morning, Fast Company, USA Today, AP, LA Times, The Guardian, CNN.com, BBC.com, SiriusXM, AdWeek, New York Post, and countless other outlets. With a background as an attorney and college professor, he transitioned into an advocate for greater thoughtfulness regarding the creation and implementation of technology. David speaks about tech ethics, digital wellbeing, emerging tech trends, and digital citizenship throughout the US and world (Netherlands, Ireland, Slovakia, Latvia).

He is the founder of All Tech Is Human, an initiative to better align tech with the human interests of users and society, and is the co-host of Funny as Tech–a live show and podcast that tackles the thorniest issues in tech. David serves on the advisory boards for Common Sense’s Digital Citizenship Advisory Council, the non-profit #ICANHELP, and Hack Mental Health. In 2015, he co-founded the global Digital Citizenship Summit. David is currently researching the impact that “scaling intimacy” has on human relationships, and whether we are becoming botified (and less authentic) in our communications.

Connect with David:

Personal Website: https://www.davidpolgar.com

All Tech is Human: https://alltechishuman.com

Funny as Tech: https://funnyastech.com

Twitter: @techethicist

Facebook: http://fb.me/techethicist

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Email: [email protected]

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