How Leaders Can Be Stewards of “Good Tech”

Former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty on driving positive, meaningful change for individuals, our organizations, and our world.

November 29, 2023

Kilito Chan/Getty Images

Post

Annotate

Save

It’s always been important for companies to take responsibility for the creation, application, and disruption of the technologies they create and use, but now that the rapid application of AI is affecting people’s privacy, security, and daily lives as never before, accepting that responsibility is essential. This is true not just for tech companies, but any organization that uses or applies AI. Former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty focused the company’s efforts in three areas: building trust in the company and in technology; championing diversity and inclusion; and, preparing society to thrive in the digital era. Companies facing today’s continuing technological changes can learn from her efforts.

This article is one in a series on “Creative Resilience: Leading in an Age of Discontinuity,” the theme of the 15th annual Global Peter Drucker Forum. See the conference program here.

Stewarding good tech is a core principle of what I call “good power”: leaders’ and businesses’ ability to drive positive, meaningful change for ourselves, our organizations, and our world. Today, as new technologies like generative AI become ubiquitous, being a steward of good tech is more vital than ever.

New!

HBR Learning

Ethics at Work Course

Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Ethics at Work. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.

Avoid integrity traps in the workplace.

Start Course

Learn More & See All Courses

Ginni Rometty was the ninth chairman, president, and CEO of IBM. Today she serves on multiple boards and cochairs OneTen, a coalition committed to upskilling, hiring, and promoting one million Black Americans by 2030 into family-sustaining jobs and careers. She is the author of Good Power: Leading Positive Change in Our Lives, Work, and World (Harvard Business Review Press, 2023).