Exposing and tackling racism in technology is the goal of UK initiative A Vibe Called Tech. Dezeen spoke to founder Charlene Prempeh about the responsibility companies have in protecting the black community on and offline.
Launched in 2018, A Vibe Called Tech explores the impact that technology has on black people in the UK. Prempeh's work spans across the various forms that technology takes, from social media platforms to artificial intelligence (AI) and biometric devices.
Black people aren't being considered when technologies are developed
The initiative aims to outline the myriad ways that technology reinforces racial inequalities, as well as how it can be harnessed as a form of empowerment.
"The ways in which tech is used as a tool of oppression are numerous," Prempeh told Dezeen. "We often talk about it like it's new, but technology's been coming for black people since the beginning." "Even when you look back to the start of photography, in certain lights or with the flash on, you couldn't get a black face," she added.
"There has always been this sense that black people aren't being considered when technology is developed, and that has just persisted."
Top image: Charlene Prempeh is founder of A Vibe Called Tech. Above: Prempeh's latest work has seen her collaborate with Gucci on a photo series
Modern-day examples of this include AI and facial recognition, which still struggle to recognise the faces of black people and often mis...