Technology Should Put People First, Author Tells Albany Audience
By Maria Runco | October 6, 2026
Technology has become so deeply embedded in everyday life that society should begin treating it as critical infrastructure, author Francine Berman told an Albany audience during a discussion about her new book, Better Tech: Putting People First in Cyberspace on Sept. 22.
Berman, a computer scientist and public-interest technologist, spoke about technology, artificial intelligence, privacy and public safety at an event hosted by the New York State Writers Institute. She argued that people should not simply accept the risks created by new technologies, but should take an active role in making digital systems safer.
“Tech has really become critical infrastructure,” Berman said. She compared technology to roads, bridges, the food system and other infrastructure that society depends on, arguing that people have developed expectations for those systems that should also apply to technology.
According to Berman, those expectations include privacy, security and safety. She said technology should be designed with people’s needs in mind and should be maintained when problems occur.
Her comments came as artificial intelligence continues to expand into education, workplaces and everyday life. Berman said the rapid development of AI has created risks that are not yet matched by systems capable of monitoring and regulating the technology.
“We are not growing the ecosystem that can monitor them, that can understand what’s going on, that can audit them quite fast enough,” she said.
Berman also challenged the idea that AI systems should be described as having human intentions. She said that although AI systems can produce surprising or harmful results, they are mathematical models rather than conscious beings.
“They do not have feelings. They do not have compassion. They do not have a moral compass. They do not have a conscience,” Berman said.
The discussion also addressed the role of government and technology companies in regulating AI. Berman said both the public and private sectors have responsibilities, but she argued that individuals and local communities can also make decisions about technology.
“We can make them for our families, we can make them for our accounts, we can make them for our communities, we can make them for our federal government,” she said.
Berman encouraged audience members to take practical steps to protect themselves online, including using two-factor authentication, protecting personal information and learning where to seek help when technology-related problems occur.
She also discussed the role of AI in education. While she said students should learn how to use new technologies, she warned that relying on AI for assignments can interfere with the development of skills that students are supposed to learn.
“You do yourself a disservice if you don’t use it at all. But you do yourself a disservice if you use it too much,” Berman said.
Audience members raised questions about AI safety, responsibility and whether artificial intelligence should be avoided altogether. One student asked about the growing movement among young people to boycott AI because of concerns about data centers, employment and other consequences.
Berman compared AI to a chainsaw, arguing that powerful tools can be useful when people understand how and when to use them safely.
“If you have a chainsaw, you use that for cutting big pieces of wood,” she said. “But you don’t use it to scramble eggs.”
She said society should determine when AI can be used independently, when human supervision is necessary and when the technology is simply unnecessary.
The event ended with Berman encouraging audience members to take small actions rather than waiting for governments or technology companies to solve every problem.
“If we all make a little tiny thing better, things will add up, and it will make a difference,” she said.
After the discussion, attendees were invited to meet Berman at a book-signing table. The event was part of the New York State Writers Institute’s programming at the University at Albany.
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