Tristan Harris

Technology ethicist and advocate for humane design in digital platforms.

Profile

Tristan Harris is a former Google design ethicist and founder of the Center for Humane Technology. He is globally recognized for his work raising awareness about the effects of persuasive technologies and their impact on human behavior, democracy, and mental health. His advocacy focuses on how digital platforms shape behavior through addiction mechanisms, compulsive attention capture, and societal polarization.

Areas of Impact

• Technology ethics and humane design
• Attention economy and digital manipulation
• Social media impact on democracy and society
• AI alignment and existential risk communication

Key Ideas & Works

• Center for Humane Technology: Organization promoting ethical technology design and policy.
• The Social Dilemma: Netflix documentary featuring Harris as a primary voice on tech ethics.
• Time Well Spent movement: Campaign for technology that respects human attention and wellbeing.
• Race to the Bottom of the Brain Stem: Framework explaining how tech exploits human psychology.

Notable Quotes

"The problem isn't that people lack willpower; it's that there are a thousand people on the other side of the screen whose job it is to break whatever responsibility you have."
"Technology is not neutral. We're inside of something that was created by human beings, and it's subjecting us to the goals of those human beings."
"We need technology that protects our capacity for reflection, introspection, and our ability to have the conversations and relationships that we want."