VIDEO | Distinguished Career Professor, Carnegie Mellon University: Transparent Doesn't Mean Inclusive

(US and Canada) Rayid Ghani, Distinguished Career Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, speaks with Maria Espona, Professor — ArgIQ and CDO Magazine Editorial Board Member, in a video interview about the evolution of the role of public interest technology and making it more inclusive.

Ghani mentions that public interest technology has faced three main challenges:

• Public interest organizations needed to learn what was possible with the technologies.
• They didn't have people who understood what needed to be done.
• They needed customized tools to do it.

He says that while there has been increased awareness of the technologies and a better talent pool over the last few years, the third piece still needs to mature. Ghani adds that many organizations have started doing pilots but need to turn them into deployed systems. They need new people, evidence, and scale.

Regarding data-related learning from COVID, Ghani notes that data sharing is tricky for governments because the data is sensitive and belongs to the people. It is essential to have these conversations publicly and create venues for communities to participate. He adds that the government often decides for the people while being transparent, but transparency does not mean being inclusive.

Ghani concludes by emphasizing the importance of academia working in partnership with communities, creating systems together, and being transparent about their efforts. He adds that giving people a role in designing these systems can lead to more trust and include more people from the community.

CDO Magazine appreciates Rayid Ghani for sharing his insights and data success stories with our global community.

See more from Rayid Ghani