Standing Alone, Speaking for Many

Over the last several years, my career in technology has taken me from Microsoft’s cloud computing to NVIDIA’s AI hardware, where I focus on cutting-edge enterprise projects. These jobs have given me an intimate understanding of the technology that is changing how we live and work.

I have always aspired to turn these insights into community impact. 2019 marked the beginning of this journey when I was appointed to Seattle’s Community Technology Advisory Board (CTAB) by the city council. Moving from member to vice chair to chair, I supported incredible community-based technology efforts, tackling issues such as broadband access during the pandemic lockdown. CTAB functioned like a nonpartisan think tank, and my service felt both educational and inspiring.

My CTAB term expired in 2024, and I was appointed chair of Seattle’s Community Surveillance Working Group (CSWG), which is tasked with reviewing surveillance technology the city wants to implement and providing feedback to city officials. I started my role during a heated public discourse around proposed AI-enabled police cameras, raising serious questions about privacy, civil liberties, racial equity, and public trust.

Here is what we were charged with researching: What happens when an AI-enabled police camera directly faces a Planned Parenthood healthcare center in a neighborhood with one of the highest Latino populations in Washington State? Who is put at unique risk when there is no policy for where or how long the data is stored, which algorithms will be used, or the cameras’ specifications? We considered all of this in the 20-page report we were required to create as part of Seattle’s legal review process. Five of the six members, including myself, ultimately opposed the proposal for AI-enabled police cameras.

I had expected to work collaboratively with city leaders to address the feedback in the report; however, it turned out that creating the report was the easy part, and trying to get city officials to address the concerns was the real challenge. After a long period of silence and with only a day’s notice, I found out about the city council meeting that would address the report. We weren’t notified by the city, but by concerned citizens. It felt like city officials were actively avoiding our work, so I knew I had to create my own opportunity to advocate for the community.

I showed up alone to two city council meetings, where I watched the Seattle Police Department present for over two hours. In contrast, I was given one minute to speak during the public comment period. In my address to the council, I made sure to underline our concern areas, the working group’s disapproval, and our frustration around the lack of collaboration with city leaders.

After speaking, I was approached by local press, which led to live news features and multiple local articles focused on our research. I am naturally not comfortable being so visible, but I owed it to underrepresented citizens as well as the working group members who put so much time into the research. Being informed is only part of the responsibility; leadership sometimes means being willing to speak up even at the risk of being seen as adversarial by people with power.

I also challenged myself to find new ways to use my voice. The Seattle Times published my op-ed, “It’s time for the next wave of tech policy thinkers,” a call for Millennials, Gen-Z, Gen Alpha, and beyond to get involved in tech policy discussions. As a result of the advocacy work, I was recognized as one of Seattle’s “40 Under 40” honorees as a "prominent voice in technology, its ethics and its implications for communities of color." And, last year, my summer was punctuated with the honor of being invited to speak at the United Nations during their AI for Good Summit in Geneva.

The proposal I fought against was ultimately approved – nearly unanimously. The cameras that pointed at the Planned Parenthood healthcare center were decommissioned by a new, progressive mayor. I’d like to think that our work had a role to play in that. Even if not, our report is still being used by law students and public interest groups around the country as an example of effective tech policy advocacy. As I type this, Seattle is just over a month away from hosting the World Cup, where the surveillance discussion still looms large. I remain hopeful.

For me, it all comes back to the responsibility I feel due to the opportunities I’ve been afforded, and the curiosity that was instilled in me from a young age. Solving big, complicated problems that impact others is what I want to make my life work. I know I can draw on my Seattle experience for the courage to take up space and continue to make my voice heard.

Article written by René J. Peters Jr. `09.