 Good morning and welcome to the 2023 pit UN convening We made it. We're finally in the same room together We have been building this network over zoom for many years and We ventured out last year at the City University of New York And we're excited that Boston decided to host us and bring us such good weather and such wonderful views So thank you all We I know because I've spoken to some of you that many of your hearts are heavy Because you are thinking of Conflicts that are happening outside of this room So I want to also encourage you to take time to check in on each other and to have the Deep conversations that need to happen in a community and to take care of each other. So I just want to Set space for that to happen for all of us And then I also want to just begin by saying that we have been very thoughtful in Putting together the panels that you have seen and part of that is a recognition that I've often heard people say What is this thing pit? What is this thing? And then the first thing we jump to are the pain points This is going to be a challenge to do. This is such a I don't understand what we're doing So the day or the next two days are opportunities for you to reflect on the work of our grantees They're all in your panels and they have been a part of the work that we have been doing together for the past five years In building this field and I they are just a representation of a small sample of Some of the things that have inspired us to continue to grow and shape this field So I hope that you take it as inspiration and not a complete picture Because of course it's a curated experience, right? We all understand what those mean And the other thing I want you all to leave with if you leave with anything at all is that equitable innovation is powered by and for people When I say the public interest I am curious about which public and How do we continue to refine and define that really clearly? Our goal for the convening however is to continue to build the connective tissues of our diverse and ambitious community I hope that you will take the time to connect with old and new friends share some of your big ideas and your small ones and Find potential collaborators and then celebrate and reaffirm our shared commitment to this work The 2023 convening marks a significant milestone in our work At pit you in when I came to New America in 2018 Public interest technology was a nascent idea The at the time our goal was to explore and ground technological development and deployment with an eye towards people and their needs More and more people were asking questions like where's all this technology? Taking us why does it seem like technologies working against the things we value and care about and How can we do things differently and importantly a few people whispered are we even comfortable marrying technology with questions of values? An emerging group of technologists Philanthropists policy makers researchers and activists many in this room came together to develop a shared vision of a field That would draw on the insights of many disciplines among them computer science Engineering public policy the social sciences the humanities and law our goal was to make the public Interest a core concern of technology design development and governance not just an afterthought We started by organizing a group of universities to define what the space could be We wanted to imagine what the coursework would look like to imagine the experiences that students should have and to identify Core competencies for public interest technologists We started with 21 universities, and we are now at 63 universities Over the next two days you will discover that each one is pursuing public interest technology in unique ways We have some who are focused on data science clearly And they are leveraging data in ways that are more equitable and representative of our diverse communities We have others that are building cybersecurity clinics that give students experiential learning opportunities with local communities and Non-profits, and I just want to give a shout out to still men Because you've just received your funding to continue your work one of our first HBCUs to do so I'm really excited for that and Then others are building technical tools to increase access to court proceedings for marginalized defendants Those are just through Examples of some of the work that's happening in our network and over the past five years We have invested over 15 million dollars in a hundred and forty five public interest technology projects through our annual network challenge This fall nine of our member universities are hosting pit-specific career fairs and our member led working groups Which you some of you saw happening this morning have forged connections between universities and have submitted recommendations to the National Science Foundation grounded in the public interest technology framework and Looking ahead, I think as you're already name-checked this, but I'm gonna say it again We're excited to explore a regional model. How can you work together? locally to advance public interest technology and We're also going to be debuting in 2024 and we are with lots of Resources from some of the grantees that you are going to meet today and some of the ones that you are going to continue to Learn about as things go on I think what connects all of these efforts is a commitment to staying with the difficult questions that technology raises Who stands to benefit from a given technology and who might that technology harm? Who how can we better shape technology and how should our technologies be governed? Those are the grounding questions that come up with within our community all the time I think it's often assumed in technology circles and I might add other circles That innovation means sacrificing someone or some community for the greater good Pit demands that we interrogate those assumptions that we ask again and again How are we defining innovation and what is the greater good in the first place? Can we clearly articulate in whose interests we are designing and shaping our technology tools? public interest demands that we resist an easy tech solution frame The idea that tech on its own will solve society's problems Continues in many circles and as an alternative Pit offers us ways to introduce many different perspectives on the problems. We're trying to solve Whatever the issue may be access to housing clean water education voting rights healthcare pit asks us to approach these complex problems with some humility and some recognition that We cannot each of us needs the other to try to solve these intrinsic problems I think recent global events from the turmoil in the Ukraine to Israel to January 6th Which is much closer to home for us underscore the double-head sword that is technology married with violence on one hand Social media grants individuals the unparalleled ability to share their personal truths Build community rally support and offer invaluable documentary evidence. It can serve as a beacon for truth Openness and even facilitate healthy debate on the other hand. We're increasingly witnessing its darker side Where apps are weaponized to marginalize Spread falsehood deep in societal chasm and incite acts of violence The rear this reality and these dynamics must be open for robust informed discussion that I hope will model a bit today These issues intersect with ethics trust philosophy Civic engagement human rights and institutional stability These are the very pillars that public interest technology seek to buttress The burgeoning interests among students at pit UN Affiliated universities to delve into these critical issues is really a Call to action for us We must pave clear pathways for these conversations We must ensure that every participant feels an intricate part of a broader field dedicated to fortifying democracy bolstering institutions Enhancing accessibility and championing justice in essence our collective endeavor should be centered around strengthening the communities we serve That's our aim and our goal Thanks to the leadership of BU and Howard University. We have a small but mighty student track with papers Posters and conversation circles on pit I invite you to visit and join the activities on the second floor today This is this reiterating what was said, but I really am so encouraged and excited by the student work That's from 2 30 to 5 p.m. On the second floor as your schedule will allow you One thing to note is that BU and Howard Hosted a wildly successful pit hackathon last year and it is coming back again in this very space February 2024 so looking forward to inviting your students from across the network