Needs Translation: Advocating for Marginalized Communities in Tech Design

To address the problem of disjointed approaches to AI and equity, our proposed project develops new methods and research frameworks to interrogate how AI technologies and applications may be used for social good. We have developed a framework called “Needs Translation” that integrates and foregrounds the complex needs of the various stakeholders in the technoculture ecosystem. Though these needs are often portrayed as being at odds with each other, we contend that each need, needs translation for the other groups, so that the rights and needs of the most marginalized and/or most impacted communities are represented in the industrial decisions and design of emerging artificial intelligence, algorithmic technologies, and technology implementation. In our talk, we explore the Needs Translation framework in action by presenting a case study of work conducted by our team with a leading dating company. We examine and refine the Needs Translation framework with an industry partner.