The Public Interest Technologist

The Public Interest Technologist is an online publication aimed at helping the MIT community think together about the social responsibilities of students, administration, faculty, staff and alumni who design and implement technologies of various kinds. Public Interest Technology (PIT) is a multidisciplinary field that emphasizes the lived benefits (and costs) that flow from both old and new technologies, and the way they are used. In our view, to be a public interest technologist requires taking responsibility for ensuring that the needs of groups at the margins, and the public in general, are met as new technologies are created and deployed around the world. Recently, MIT joined 63 American universities to form the Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN), a coalition aimed at promoting new curricula, degree programs, research projects and public service efforts. We are using this publication to share the latest news from the PIT-UN coalition, including information indicating when and how MIT faculty can apply for grants of various kinds. We include monthly interviews with faculty and students commenting on the public service goals they are trying to meet.

Articles, columns, Interviews, and op eds featured in the Public Interest Technologist have been prepared by an interdisciplinary editorial team including Publisher and Editor-In-Chief Larry Susskind (MIT Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning) and Managing Editor, Natalie Phillips (MCP ‘25). If you would like to submit a column or an article, please be in touch with Professor Susskind or Ms. Phillips.