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Episode 145: The Responsible Tech Revolution with Tanya Johnson, Chief Product Officer at Auror

44 min • 15 november 2023

In this episode of Product Thinking, Tanya Johnson, Chief Product Officer at Auror, joins Melissa Perri to explore the importance of responsible and ethical use of tech and AI. They unveil the essence of ethical product development, embracing responsibility and diversity across product teams; explore strategies for building authentic diversity in tech teams; and share Auror’s framework for responsible tech and AI.

Tanya is a trailblazer in ethical product innovation, committed to drive technology's evolution along an intentional and accountable trajectory. With over two decades of experience in product teams, she has skilfully navigated the intersection of strategy, product management, design, and software engineering.

A passionate advocate for the representation and inclusion of women and LGBTQ+ individuals, Tanya is the founder of NZTech WomeNB (formerly Women in Tech), a platform dedicated to increasing the presence, perspectives, and positions of women and non-binary individuals within the tech sector.

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You’ll hear them talk about:

[07:00] - Tanya highlights the importance of responsible technology and AI, especially in critical sectors like retail crime intelligence. While tech should solve problems, it must also strive to minimize harm, which involves product development and data management to maximize positive impacts without compromising user safety or privacy. As our understanding of responsible tech deepens, the industry must shift from indiscriminate tech applications to more thoughtful, inclusive, and deliberate development and deployment practices that aim to increase societal good at scale.
[10:50] - When developing responsible tech products, you must consider both the target and involuntary users. Product managers should conduct thorough research beyond their core audience, considering the broader context and potential consequences. Besides restrictive policies, addressing these issues should involve proactive discovery, thoughtful design, and user training. Moreover, balancing access restrictions while ensuring responsible and broad consideration of user impact is critical for ethical product development.
[17:21] - Regarding tech responsibility, every team member, not just CEOs, bears the responsibility for ethical technology development. While there's a misconception that only bad people cause harm, it's a lack of intentionality and accountability that leads to negative outcomes. Also, it's essential to build a diverse team when recognizing risks, such as how data use could threaten vulnerable groups. The responsibility lies with creators to ensure their technology respects and protects all users.
[22:50] - Building diverse teams is vital for creating successful products that resonate with a broad user base. Cultivating diversity goes down to company founders and leaders must implement intentional hiring practices from the beginning. Objectively assess candidates by standardizing the hiring process and focusing on role-relevant criteria rather than subjective preferences. Also, ensure your hiring panels are diverse. First, however, you must understand that diversity goes beyond gender and ethnicity, including cultural, linguistic, and financial backgrounds.
[29:20] - Auror developed a framework for responsible tech and AI that prioritizes fairness, equality, and community benefit. The company commits to designing non-discriminatory AI, sticking to international and local laws, and respecting human rights. Transparency and accountability in AI processes are key, while human oversight is compulsory to balance autonomous decision-making. Additionally, Auror ensures that its technology supports the safety and well-being of its customers and the wider community.

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Previous guests include: Shruti Patel of US Bank, Steve Wilson of Contrast Security, Bethany Lyons of KAWA Analytics, Tanya Johnson Chief Product Officer at Auror, Tom Eisenmann of Harvard Business School, Stephanie Leue of Doodle, Jason Fried of 37signals, Hubert Palan of Productboard, Blake Samic of Stripe and Uber, Quincy Hunte of Amazon Web Services

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