{"id":47835,"date":"2023-10-20T15:55:30","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:55:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/technology-is-not-about-breakthroughs-alysha-naples-on-what-your-startup-can-do-to-avoid-creating-just-another-gadget-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T15:55:30","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:55:30","slug":"technology-is-not-about-breakthroughs-alysha-naples-on-what-your-startup-can-do-to-avoid-creating-just-another-gadget-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/technology-is-not-about-breakthroughs-alysha-naples-on-what-your-startup-can-do-to-avoid-creating-just-another-gadget-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"“Technology is not about breakthroughs”: Alysha Naples on what your startup can do\u00a0to avoid creating just another “gadget” – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"ALYSHA<\/div>\n

When Henry Ford or Karl Benz were first developing the ideas that would spurn their businesses, they could never have imagined their cars would one day be filled with angry people stuck in traffic jams nearly everyday around the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an unintended consequence of a very well-intentioned technology,\u201d according to Alysha Naples, former senior director of user experience and interaction at Magic Leap in San Francisco.<\/p>\n

Speaking at Melbourne creative tech conference Pause Fest on Wednesday, Naples called on entrepreneurs, tech developers and innovators to pause and seriously consider why they do what they do, and how their work will impact people and the world, not just today but long into the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cTechnology is not about breakthroughs,” she says.<\/p>\n

“Innovation is about the unintended long-term consequences of what we celebrate today.”<\/p>\n

Naples looked at several other examples of emerging technologies that had unintended consequences, including artificial intelligence-powered Google Photos, which mistook people for gorillas, and Microsoft\u2019s chatter bot blunder with Tay.<\/p>\n

\n

“Tay” went from “humans are super cool” to full nazi in <24 hrs and I’m not at all concerned about the future of AI pic.twitter.com\/xuGi1u9S1A<\/p>\n

\u2014 gerry (@geraldmellor) March 24, 2016<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t teach Tay about the boundaries of acceptable speech,\u201d Naples says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took 18 hours for it to go from humans are cool to using hate speech.”<\/p>\n

While an algorithm may measure engagement perfectly, it does not have the ability to \u201cunderstand truth from lie\u201d, says Naples, and it’s not safe from human bias at the development stage unless conscious effort is made.<\/p>\n

\u201cData and algorithms, cannot replace facts and ethics,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Are you just creating another “gadget”?<\/h3>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re actually living a split existence,\u201d says Naples when speaking about how people live between the real world and what\u2019s on their screens.<\/p>\n

With the development of artificial intelligence, virtual reality and augmented reality, the wall between real life and our digital world is blurring, but people experiencing this are still humans with actual emotions, she says.<\/p>\n

Naples argues that \u201clearning, sharing, playing and exploring\u201d have always been fundamental to human life, and no technology can replace a person\u2019s innate need to do these things.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf your technology doesn\u2019t support these, you\u2019re just creating a gadget,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

When creating new technology or building startups, particularly in the realms of virtual reality and augmented reality, Naples says it\u2019s crucial to build solutions that connect, rather than isolate, people.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can this be solved in a way that builds connection?\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we can learn to embrace that, we can be the most powerful force ever seen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to start by asking the right questions, these things take time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Uncovering the consequences of your startup<\/h3>\n

The biggest question founders and creators should ask is \u201cwhy\u201d, says Naples. It\u2019s not about \u201ccan I\u201d, she says. Instead, think \u201cwhy I\u201d.<\/p>\n

When doing market research or receiving feedback, Naples says it’s critical to listen to the \u201cessence\u201d of what people are saying and what\u2019s underneath their surface statements. Understanding this will help you develop solutions that deliver what they need.<\/p>\n

\u201cFocus on what\u2019s really being said,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Also, consider the \u201cunintended consequences\u201d of what you\u2019re building and start developing \u201csafeguards\u201d to address or fix these issues. If negative outcomes present themselves after you have gone to market, Naples says it’s important to be transparent and take immediate action, sharing the solutions you\u2019re trying and what is or isn\u2019t working.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to be the bad guy as well as the hero in your story if you want the hero to keep winning,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout history the explorers and dreamers, which is probably what you see yourself as \u2026 we\u2019ve looked at technology and making things better.<\/p>\n

But \u201cbeing good\u201d is not enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cEmpathy is a conscious choice,\u201d Naples says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to really take the time to slow down and think and put ourselves in someone else\u2019s shoes.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, we are just a pile of good-intentioned technology.\u201d<\/p>\n

To illustrate her point, Naples pointed to a video made by Keichi Matsude.<\/p>\n