Deliberate Intervention: Navigating the Harms of New Technology

The podcast episode features Lou Rosenfeld interviewing Alex Schmidt, author of the book Deliberate Intervention. Schmidt discusses the background and motivation behind writing the book, highlighting the need to explore the harms of new technology beyond just privacy. He emphasizes the importance of using a policy lens to address various types of harms and argues that privacy alone does not capture the full range of negative impacts. Schmidt also mentions that the book covers topics such as quantifying harms, targeting designs to mitigate harm, and the role of team diversity in preventing biases. He suggests that designers in the private sector can proactively and reactively address harms within their organizations. Additionally, Schmidt explores the intersection of design and policy, emphasizing the complementary nature of the two fields and discussing the importance of designers engaging with policymakers.