Thoughts on Tech for Good
We’ve been thinking a lot about Tech for Good recently.
If you’ve been keeping tabs on our recent updates - (hello, Digital Strategy bulletin subscribers!) - you’ll already know we’ve been working on two initiatives to support Manchester’s incredible Tech for Good community. These projects will support VCSFEs and non-profits to benefit from the wealth of talent in our city’s wider tech ecosystem, while providing a platform for people, organisations and communities to showcase innovative uses of technology that are making a positive difference in the world.
While for the moment our lips must remain sealed, we’ve brought together some of our early thoughts on Tech for Good, and the values underpinning our work. As we prepare to share what we’ve been working on later this year, we’re taking a deeper dive into what ‘Tech for Good’ means in practice – and why you should care.
Tech for Good isn’t a new concept, but definitions can prove elusive. Originating from civic hackathons in the 1990s, the term has since evolved to encompass a broad range of projects, people, organisations and funders. Now a global movement, Tech for Good describes innovations that aim to serve humanity by tackling social and environmental challenges. Put simply, for something to be considered ‘Tech for Good’, it must bring about meaningful benefits for people and planet, beyond commercial gain.
Based in Manchester? You certainly won’t find yourself short of innovations driving social impact. Between 2016 and 2024, Manchester-based collective Tech for Good Live produced over 200 podcast episodes dedicated to raising awareness of the benefits of Tech for Good, platforming inspiring initiatives from across the world. Just last month, Venture Café Manchester – an ecosystem activator connecting the city’s innovation community – highlighted several Tech for Good initiatives as part of a Thursday Gathering exploring how intentional innovation could offer solutions to society’s most pressing challenges.
As a Digital Strategy team, we’ve also been passionate in driving projects that use technology to support the third sector. In 2024, Manchester became the first UK city outside of London to join the EU-funded CommuniCity project: a pioneering European initiative that engaged local residents, businesses and organisations in co-creating tech-enabled solutions to social and urban challenges. Following a successful pilot, Manchester City Council’s partnership with CommuApp - a free citizen engagement platform for good deeds - is now supporting social food providers in Manchester to better co-ordinate their services.
At its core, the Tech for Good movement aims to put people first, using technology to create meaningful change that transforms lives for the better.
Ensuring that new innovations work for the public interest has become increasingly important as our relationship with technology has deepened. Digital technologies underpin many of our everyday interactions – from paying for shopping at a self-service check-out, using messaging apps to talk to friends, or following online maps to navigate to unfamiliar destinations. The technologies we use play a crucial role in shaping society. If we want to build a future that is equitable, inclusive and sustainable, we must advocate for approaches to technology that drive positive social outcomes.
As technology has advanced, it has also become increasingly ubiquitous. Alongside influencing how we communicate, access vital services and engage with society, it impacts our life in less visible ways. Algorithms now influence the delivery of public services, inform decisions around hiring and recruitment, and curate the content we’re exposed to online. While these technological developments have the capacity to act as a force for good in the world, tackling some of society’s most complex challenges to enrich lives, there is also potential to exacerbate existing problems and inflict further harm on vulnerable communities.
This dichotomy is perhaps best illustrated in the recent debate around AI-enabled wearable technologies, currently dominating headlines. While the launch of Meta’s AI glasses has generated considerable backlash over privacy concerns, smart glasses could simultaneously help people who are blind or visually impaired to navigate the world with greater independence. The capacity to do harm – including disturbing examples of wearers recording women without their consent – sits alongside opportunities to transform the lives of people for the better.
Tech for Good, therefore, not only endeavours to create positive impact but also prevent possible harms. Through championing responsible approaches to innovation that fully consider risks within underlying systems and processes, the Tech for Good movement aims to identify and mitigate negative consequences for humanity. In creating products and services that benefit people, society and the planet, the way that technologies are designed and developed are just as important as what they are intended to achieve.
Manchester has already built a strong reputation as a city committed to fostering ethical technologies. Our Tech for Good ecosystem, spanning both the profit and non-profit sector, has helped to build a culture of innovation that values social impact alongside inclusive economic growth. Across the city, technology is being used to address challenges affecting local communities, tackle social and environmental issues, and improve access to opportunity.
Our recent Tech for Good in a Human-Centred Economy report, which explores the role of the Tech for Good community in achieving Manchester’s vision of becoming a leading digital city, highlights its potential to improve well-being and advance social equity. The report also emphasises the need to address challenges inhibiting the ecosystem’s growth and impact to realise its potential to deliver social, economic and environmental benefits at greater scale.
We believe that technology should act in service of society, prioritising people over profit and benefiting the underserved and underrepresented. By nurturing Manchester’s Tech for Good ecosystem, we want to empower organisations, innovators and communities to use technology to change people’s lives for the better. Together with partners across the city, we’re building a future where values of equity, accessibility and social responsibility are embedded across our digital economy to ensure the benefits of digital innovation are felt by everyone in Manchester.
Interested in joining us in our mission to ensure innovation makes life better for people in our mission? If you’re equally excited about the potential of Manchester’s Tech for Good community, make sure to keep up to date with all our latest news on LinkedIn. We'll soon be sharing more about what we’ve been working on behind the scenes. Until then, keep a close eye on this space!
