Recent massive layoffs at IBM and Amazon, along with criticism of Google and Microsoft for developing AI for weapons and firing critical employees, highlight the uncertain future of Big Tech. As a Ph.D. researcher at UC Berkeley and former tech analyst for the ACLU, Lauren Chambers presents an alternative: advocacy technology.
A New Kind of Tech Worker
Advocacy technologists work in mission-driven organizations, supporting the public sector rather than corporate interests. They act as translators between advocacy needs and technological capabilities, building tools like custom dashboards for food banks, shaping policy against biased algorithms, or training activists on online safety. These professionals also serve as a first line of defense against AI hype and snake oil, helping nonprofits understand what technologies like ChatGPT can realistically achieve.
Workers in this field come from diverse backgrounds—statistics, neuroscience, international studies, art history—and not all have undergraduate degrees. Chambers herself transitioned from astrophysics to advocacy technology, finding the work with ACLU's Technology for Liberty project incredibly rewarding.
Challenges in Advocacy Technology
Despite the promise, nonprofit technology initiatives face significant challenges. They are often under-resourced and dependent on philanthropic funding, creating sparse job opportunities and limited career advancement paths. Many job-seekers don't know where to find "tech for good" positions, with one junior technologist noting: "There wasn't a clear path in front of me for what to do if you like math and don't want to do evil."
Building Support Systems
Several initiatives are working to strengthen the advocacy technology pipeline:
- All Tech is Human supporting responsible tech work
- Technologists for the Public Good professional association
- Public Interest Technology University Network
- #BlackTechFutures Research Institute
Nonprofit funders should follow the Ford Foundation's 1970s model of building public interest law by investing in lasting infrastructure for advocacy technology. While salaries can't compete with Big Tech's "eye-watering compensation packages," these roles offer value alignment and community impact that many find more meaningful than corporate profits.
As tech professionals seek new opportunities, they should consider mission-driven work that serves the public good rather than the bottom line.
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