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If you’re a Netflix subscriber, or have friends/family that watch Netflix, I’m sure you’ve heard about the new docudrama, The Social Dilemma. If not, the film is aimed at raising awareness around important issues with social media surrounding design ethics, digital addiction, and the spread of fake news, to name a few. As a self proclaimed data nerd, and an employee of a technology company, I initially felt slightly defensive about some of the arguments directed towards technology. As the narrative progressed, there were breaths of fresh air hearing that when designed right, technology can be used for good. At Modjoul, we strongly believe that when data is used for good, it can be a powerful and impactful tool, especially in today’s world.
One specific example that always stands out in my mind and we always talk about at Modoul, is the time a large warehousing operation deployed our wearable technology to better understand where their people were most likely to get injured. Within the first couple days of collecting data and letting all the AI (Artificial Intelligence) models analyze the data sets, there was a one individual that stood out for being a very high “at risk” bending outlier. When safety professionals looked at this individuals work station, the answer to the problem was simple! There was a printer on the lowest shelf of this individuals workstation, and this person was required to print labels for packages as they came down the roller-line. In order to reduce these risky bends, the printer had to just be moved to a higher surface – Easy!
It’s examples like this, and there are many more, that prove technology and data can be used for good. In this one example, there is a lot of good. Actually, there is a lot of great. It is great that a company wanted to invest in technology and data to protect their workers. It is great that on-site supervision acted on the data insights to help this individual. And the best thing of all, is that thousands of risky movements will now be eliminated out of this individual’s job role over the course of the year, that will better let them do the activities they love to do outside of work for longer.
It’s more important now than ever to not just collect data, but to use data for good. Whether it’s video platforms that connect friends, families, and businesses today, or wearable technology that keeps employees safe while on the job. There are endless examples of technology being used for good in our day to day lives.
