Building Toward a More Humane Internet

I was born in a commune called The Farm, known for its midwifery, radical ideals, and contradictions. It was a place where truth was valued but often wielded unevenly. Where people built an entire village from the ground up, by hand. That’s where my family’s relationship to technology began: not in code, but in construction. Not in algorithms, but in shared agreements.

So when I stepped into Internet Day San Francisco, surrounded mostly by engineers, it felt like a return to something familiar. Technology is something we’re always building together—intentionally or not.

This year’s Internet Day, hosted at Cloudflare, marked the 30th anniversary of the Internet Society and its San Francisco Bay chapter: a group that’s worked for decades to make internet access open, affordable, and inclusive. While most of today’s talk surrounds generative AI, the fight for responsible, people-first technology isn’t new. It’s just evolving.

The challenge we face

Technology isn’t neutral. It encodes the values of its makers. As generative AI and immersive environments become more powerful, the stakes of those choices grow. Are we amplifying our best selves—our capacity for care, curiosity, and critical thinking? Or are we amplifying dependency, distraction, and shallow connection?

History warns us how harm can become invisible when convenience and profit override human well-being. Cigarettes sold as doctor-recommended. Radioactive water as a tonic for health. We laugh at those ads now, but their logic lingers in modern tech: if it engages, it’s good for business. Whats more engaging than addiction? 

Our systems today shape how we see ourselves and each other. Social media that fuels comparison and anxiety. Bots that never rest, never pause, always respond. These tools don’t just mediate relationships—they shape the very idea of what it means to be human in an online world.

Prototyping new paths

We can’t change these patterns through critique alone. We need new tools, new frameworks, and new communities of practice. That’s why I launched the open-source Humane Tech Framework: a shared repository for builders to contribute their principles, practices, and lessons learned. It’s designed to combat fragmentation so that ideas about humane technology don’t stay stuck in personal notes or proprietary wikis. To contribute, fill out this form. Or fork the repo and make a pull request.

As part of the framework, I introduced the first version of the Humane Tech Metrics: a prototype tool that asks not just whether an app looks good, but whether it feels good to use. Does it help people feel cared for? Present? Connected? Fulfilled? These metrics aren’t final answers but prompts for deeper questions.

When we applied the metrics to platforms like Character.AI and Replika, we saw how small choices—like ignoring crisis disclosures or blurring the line between bot and human—can have a huge impact on trust and well-being. These gaps aren’t about bad intentions; they’re about incentives that don’t center on care.

Listening to the builders

In the months leading up to Internet Day, I spoke with more than a hundred technologists—engineers, designers, and marketers—who’ve worked at some of the world’s biggest tech companies. They all shared a version of the same frustration: "If I work in tech, I have to compromise my values."

These aren’t just personal struggles. They’re signals of a system that doesn’t make space for the values many of us share. A system that treats humane design as an optional add-on, not the foundation.

Why this work matters

We’re entering an era where children might grow up surrounded by 10 or 12 bots, each one tailored to their whims. The question isn’t whether that’s possible but whether those bots will help them grow into more connected, thoughtful people or keep them locked in loops of passive consumption.

I believe we can build technology that strengthens our relationships and expands our curiosity. Imagine learning about natural selection not from a textbook, but from a virtual Charles Darwin leading you through the Galápagos, or learning social justice from Martin Luther King Jr, or exploring the discovery of DNA inside a double helix with the scientists who found it. These aren’t fantasies, they’re possibilities within reach if we choose to pair our technical tools with human values.

Where we go from here

This work doesn’t belong to any one person. It’s not about any single tool or metric. It’s about the questions we ask and the principles we refuse to compromise on. If you’re building something, evaluating something, or even just wondering how we got here, you’re already part of the conversation.

See all the ways you can get involved.

Coming up next: Join us on June 28th in San Francisco to vibe code for humanity

How can you ask better questions when you're building? How do you test what happens after launch? Who are you listening to, to make space for nuance, doubt and clarity questions. It may not be easy but it is time.

Watch the full session here:

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