The Problem with IBM’s “Dear Tech” Ad

I didn’t watch the Oscars this year, but I do pay attention to tech Twitter, and saw the IBM ad get some tweets. Many people in the diversity and inclusion space were commenting on it. Some good. Some bad. I took a moment to watch, and had very mixed feelings about it.

[Image Description: Screenshot of the “Dear Tech” YouTube video of woman in a pink hijab standing in front of a field of green plants asking “Can we build AI without bias?”]

Generally, advertisements like this are not meant to sway change in the industry. They’re meant to convey a message to a mass audience that aims at people’s emotions. I mean, why else would they invoke the idea of children writing “Dear Santa” letters?

This brings up a big problem. Sure, they had people of all different races and colors. But the bottom line is they still had people of color in this. And there has been enough infantilizing of people of color throughout history. Do we need any other representation in the media confirming this stereotype?

Secondly, the “Dear Tech” ad conveys the wishes and dreams of what we want from technology. But what it does do is give us a sense of confidence that any tech company (even IBM) will do anything to make this happen?

I generally have a pretty visceral reaction when I see ads like this. Mainly because I worked at an ad agency, and I’ve seen the kinds of conversations that lead to a commercial like this. It’s not based on anything other than “how do we make this company LOOK good?” And if that’s the incentive behind any ad, then why are we pretending that they’re going to do anything about changing the tech industry? I also guarantee a team of lawyers at IBM thoroughly vetted this ad before it went public, so it could be as innocuous as possible.

And, while the feel goods happened during the Oscars; did the “Dear Tech” ad campaign actually spark a real conversation? Let’s see. . .

[Image Description: Tweet showing a data visualization with limited connections from IBM to large black space]

I’m NOT saying that IBM isn’t doing anything around these issues. In fact, they are. I always say that no company is perfect, and if you’re taking active steps towards diversity, equity and inclusion; then you’re at least moving forward on the right track. But, I want to see more companies listening to the voices of those most marginalized by tech companies themselves. I want to see technology built with those people at the table.

I will end with this. Joy Buolamwini, the founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, created an alternative video. One that would NEVER have been approved by the legal team at IBM or imagined by the ad execs at Ogilvy, but would have made a real statement by the company.

[Image Description: Thumbnail of alternative “Dear Tech Company…” advertisement on YouTube]

Nina is the Co-Founder & CEO of <div>ersity, a startup focused on creating an equitable, diverse and inclusive tech industry. They are building a platform that’s the “Glassdoor for diversity” where companies can highlight what they’re doing to create inclusive environments for people of all backgrounds, and coders, developers and engineers from underrepresented communities can share their experiences in the workplace. As a child of immigrants, Nina has always been passionate about social justice and improving the lives of marginalized people. She began her career in the non-profit world working to empower underrepresented communities, then went on to get an MBA before she decided to teach herself front-end web development and user experience design. With nearly twenty years of experience in non-profit and for-profit organizations, she decided to dive into the startup world combining her community organizing, business, leadership and app development skills.