Harper Singh: Bridging Technology and Ethics

Early Life and Inspiration

Born and raised in Mumbai, Harper Singh developed an early fascination with technology's potential to transform society. Her parents, both educators, nurtured her curiosity about both scientific innovation and moral philosophy. Harper pursued computer science at the Indian Institute of Technology, where she became troubled by the ethical vacuum in technological development. This concern prompted her to earn a dual master's degree in Ethics and Artificial Intelligence from the University of Delhi, establishing the foundation for her unique perspective.

Career Journey

Harper began her career at India's leading tech journal, where her incisive articles on algorithmic bias gained national attention. Her breakthrough came with the viral essay "Silicon Shadows: When Code Outpaces Conscience," which examined how unchecked AI development could reinforce social inequalities. This led to her becoming a regular columnist for The Global Tech Review and frequent speaker at international conferences. Harper has advised parliamentary committees in three countries on technology regulation and received the Global Tech Ethics Award in 2022 for her influential policy paper "Guardrails for the Digital Age."

Philosophical Contributions

Harper's work centers on the belief that technology must serve humanity rather than dictate its values. She advocates for inclusive design processes that involve ethicists, sociologists, and marginalized communities from a product's inception. Her concept of "Ethical by Architecture" has been adopted by several major tech companies in India. As she often emphasizes: "Technology without ethical foundations is like building skyscrapers on sand - impressive until the first storm reveals its instability." Harper also founded CodeConscience, a nonprofit that provides ethics training to engineering students across rural India.

Personal Insights

When asked about her motivation, Harper shares: "I believe innovation should measure its success not by what problems it solves, but by what new dignities it creates." Her writing process involves meditation and what she calls "moral stress-testing" - imagining how technologies might be misused by future generations. Harper maintains that cultural context is essential to ethical tech, noting: "Algorithms trained only on Western data will always fail my grandmother in Chennai." She frequently collaborates with traditional Indian philosophers to explore ancient ethical frameworks applicable to modern technology.

Current Work and Legacy

Today, Harper leads the South Asian Ethical Tech Collective while writing her seminal book "Dharma in the Machine," which reinterprets classical Indian philosophy for AI governance. Her popular podcast "Moral Circuits" features debates between technologists and human rights activists. Despite international acclaim, Harper remains committed to grassroots work, establishing digital literacy programs in twelve Indian languages. Her vision extends beyond mere regulation to what she terms "compassionate innovation" - technology designed to heal rather than divide. As she prepares to advise the UN's AI ethics council, Harper continues challenging the industry: "We must stop asking 'can we build it?' and start asking 'should we build it?' - that's where true progress begins."

Country: India