IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - December 2022 - 36

Commentary
would likely be positively received by engineers and
the public.
I recognize that humanistic engineering is potentially
controversial and could run up against very
powerful moneyed and political interests. We, engineers,
need to decide who we work for. Are we
courtiers and sycophants for the powerful or do we
serve humanity more broadly? Doing the right thing
is noble not because it is easy, but because it is hard
and requires personal risk and sacrifice. That said,
we engineers do have power. Our countries are
dependent on the economic growth and stability
facilitated by the technology that we discover and
design. Those of us in education train the workforce
that designs the technology. We (at least for now)
are difficult to replace because of the extensive,
technical, specialized training required to be a successful
engineer. Because we currently hold these
positions, we collectively have the ability to negotiate
the terms under which we deliver our services.
UlTimaTely, i am looking for like-minded people
and organizations who are interested in working
to make humanistic engineering a reality. With
contemporary engineering emphasizing robotics
and AI, more skilled works will be automated away,
labor reductions will continue to concentrate wealth
upward, and people's lives will be more surveilled
and monetized. Humanistic engineering is genuinely
transformative and convergent and will give engineers
the skills and infrastructure to address these
pathologies, push engineering in creative directions,
empower the populous, and achieve a happier,
healthier, fairer, and more democratic future. <
g References
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IEEE Technology and Society Magazine

https://www.v-dem.net/media/filer_public/de/39/de39af54-0bc5-4421-89aefb20dcc53dba7democracy_report.pdf https://www.v-dem.net/media/filer_public/de/39/de39af54-0bc5-4421-89ae-fb20dcc53dba7democracy_report.pdf https://www.v-dem.net/media/filer_public/de/39/de39af54-0bc5-4421-89ae-fb20dcc53dba7democracy_report.pdf https://www.epi.org/productivity-pay-gap/ https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/2017-september-changes-in-us-family-finances-from-2013-to-2016.htm https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/2017-september-changes-in-us-family-finances-from-2013-to-2016.htm https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/2017-september-changes-in-us-family-finances-from-2013-to-2016.htm

IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - December 2022

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