Hodder acquires Stanford professors' manifesto on future of tech

Hodder & Stoughton is to publish an "urgent" manifesto on the future of technology by three Stanford professors.

System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot by Professors Robert Reich, Mehran Sahami and Jeremy Weinstein reveals how "Big Tech’s obsession with optimisation has sacrificed fundamental human values".

The synopsis explains: "Written by three Stanford professors—a philosopher, a political scientist and a computer engineer—and based on their popular course, System Error reveals how Big Tech’s pursuit of optimisation is driving a future that reinforces discrimination, erodes privacy, displaces workers and pollutes the information we get.

"This book explores the urgent issues that we face today: the lack of ethics and empathy built into the technology we use; the tech world’s obsession with efficiency at the expense of human values; and the growing political influence of engineers, technologists and start-up c.e.o.s. In addition to identifying the problems, the authors also illustrate how we can hold power to account and chart a new path towards a more ethical future of tech."

Huw Armstrong, senior commissioning editor, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Natasha Fairweather at RCW on behalf of Elyse Cheney at the Cheney Agency. HarperCollins is publishing in the US.

Armstrong said: "Despite the advantages new technologies have given us, especially during the past year, the question of what role technology should play in our lives is an urgent one. Rob, Mehran and Jeremy have sought to answer that and have written something very special here. I’m hugely excited about this."

Political scientist Weinstein added: "The question of how our democratic institutions navigate the challenges posed by new technologies is as urgent in the United Kingdom and Europe as it is in the United States. We look forward to bringing this work to new audiences and engaging in the important conversations about how we ensure that technology serves our collective goals."

The hardback, e-book and audiobook will be published on 16th September 2021.