The impact universe—a framework for prioritizing the public interest in the Internet of Things

The connected technologies of the Internet of Things (IoT) power the world we live in. IoT systems and devices are critical infrastructure—they provide a platform for social interaction, fuel the marketplace, enable the government, and control the home. Their increasing ubiquity and decision-making capabilities have profound implications for society. When humans are empowered by technology and technology learns from experience, a new kind of social contract is needed, one that specifies the roles and rules of engagement for a cyber-social world. In this paper, we describe the “impact universe,” a framework for assessing the impacts and outcomes of potential IoT social controls. Policymakers can use this framework to guide technological innovation so that the design, use, and oversight of IoT products and services advance the public interest. As an example, we develop an impact universe framework that describes the social, economic, and environmental impacts of self-driving cars. Digital technologies are fundamental to the world we live in. Internet-connected systems and devices are a critical infrastructure: they run power and water systems, they drive cars, planes, and trains, and they have changed how we do business. They provide a platform for social interaction—targeting and modulating a mindboggling set of options. The increasing ubiquity, decision-making capabilities, and far-reaching impacts of connected technologies have profound implications for individuals and society. They mandate new social controls—policy, regulation, law, standards, recommended practice—that promote the public interest in a rapidly changing environment. Developing effective social controls requires a holistic appraisal of their potential impact on society and the environment. The “impact universe” is a framework that exposes a broad set of impacts—both quantifiable and qualitative—to assess the benefits and risks of connected systems and devices. Developing an impact universe framework requires a stakeholder to identify benefits and risks in aggregate; it encourages them to focus beyond the single metric valuation that often characterizes the development of social controls for connected systems. It provides a tool for stakeholders to more effectively guide technological innovation, so that the design, development, use, and standardization of connected products and services advances the public interest and promotes social responsibility in a tech-powered world. The connected t