The Tech Policy Press Podcast Ryan Calo Wants to Change the Relationship Between Law and Technology
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Oct 26, 2025 
Ryan Calo, a law professor and information scientist at the University of Washington, explores the intersection of law and technology. He discusses how the Amish approach to technology challenges assumptions about technological inevitability. Calo critiques the current fetishization of innovation, highlighting its hidden failures. He advocates for a proactive legal approach that aligns technology with societal values and outlines a four-step method for legal scholars. With a nod to the importance of technology assessment, he emphasizes the need for balance between innovation and regulation.
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Deliberate Tech Adoption Matters
- Many cultures like the Amish treat new technologies as choices aligned with communal values rather than inevitable progress.
- This challenges the reflexive American assumption that technology must be accepted and society must adapt around it.
A Focused Definition Of Technology
- Calo defines technology as crafted artifacts and systems that alter human affordances, not every social technique or law.
- This clarifies scope and focuses analysis on physical, digital, biological artifacts and systems.
Perception Creates Tech Exceptionalism
- Technology is a social fact shaped by and shaping society, but it's perceived as inevitable and exceptional.
- That perception leads to reluctance to regulate and a mistaken sense that tech is different from other social forces.
