CIOs must prioritize equity when adopting new technologies to prevent harm, improve accessibility and make sure the technology enhances rather than amplifies existing inequities.
Emerging technology is evolving at a more rapid pace than ever before.
From agentic AI to blockchain, organizations have various options to automate workflows, innovate core product offerings and improve decision-making with advanced analytics. In fact, only 1% of IT leaders said there are no major operational changes in their organizations due to AI, according to Deloitte.
Despite its benefits, organizations may also use emerging technologies in ways that can unintentionally cause harm and increase inequity, especially with tech used in decision-making.
Technology increases inequality rather than lessens it if access, skills and context are not taken into account.
Punit JajodiaFounder and CEO, Programiz
CIOs and other IT leaders must prioritize equity when implementing any new technologies. They should create a strategy to approach emerging tech equitably and tackle it proactively before problems arise. This can ensure emerging tech is helpful rather than harmful to the organization, stakeholders and customers.
Why equitable tech is now a CIO imperative
As the role of the CIO becomes more strategic, equity in emerging tech is a priority they cannot afford to ignore.
"Emerging technology scales whatever system it is integrated into; it does not generate equity on its own," said Punit Jajodia, founder and CEO at Programiz, a programming education platform. "Technology increases inequality rather than lessens it if access, skills and context are not taken into account."
To keep organizations resilient, adaptable and dependable, equity must be a core part of business strategies. Inequitable tech can stifle market reach and make offerings less accessible to broader groups, leading to lower adoption rates and lower overall value.
"From a CIO perspective, equity starts long before implementation," said Krunal Vyas, CEO of iQlance Solutions, a software development company. "Effective leaders are asking these kinds of questions early on: who benefits from a given technology, who it may harm and where human intervention is needed. … Treating equity as a technical and operational requirement, not just a policy statement, helps prevent problems later."
Ensuring all tech is equitable involves regulatory, reputational and workforce considerations that can affect the business, such as government regulations on AI and data compliance.
How emerging tech can create or amplify inequity
The use of emerging tech can have far-reaching effects: It can either create equity gaps or amplify existing inequity for end users.
Although IT teams can use AI to help reduce bias, it can also do the opposite. AI learns from what it's fed. If that data is clean, messy or uneven in any way, the AI will reflect that, according to Steve Zisk, principal data strategist at Redpoint Global, a marketing technology vendor. Inequity also shows up if data inputs are unclear or incomplete, which AI cannot course-correct independently.
Without proper consideration, the rapid rise of automation can create inequity and disproportionately affect different workforces and demographic groups. It can lead to biased decisions about which roles should be replaced or to a lack of access to reskilling to help avoid job displacement.
Other technologies can create accessibility gaps, too. These can include digital tools that aren't compatible with screen readers, often used by people with vision impairments.
"Beyond ethics, the business value is clear: Equitable systems build trust, scale adoption faster and ultimately deliver stronger, more sustainable returns," said Rafee Tarafdar, CTO at Infosys, an IT consulting company.
These gaps in equity can create unintended negative outcomes and expose the organization to liability risks, including the following:
Litigation and labor disputes due to job displacement.
Reputational damage or loss of customer loyalty.
Regulatory non-compliance consequences.
The CIO's framework for equitable emerging technology
Equitable emerging tech requires a clear, defined strategy.
When CIOs and other stakeholders introduce new technology into their organizations, they should assess the technology and understand how it may inadvertently amplify inequity across different groups and populations. This requires clean and connected data.
When assessing emerging tech and its effects on workflows, decision-making and other equity risks, CIOs should focus on a few key areas. They are the following:
Governance oversight. CIOs should designate points of contact who own ethical AI governance and establish documentation processes for accountability and decision-making reviews when needed. Equity assessments should also be baked into existing governance processes.
Cross-functional partnerships. A comprehensive equity strategy includes partnerships with core groups, such as legal, HR, diversity, equity and inclusion, and data teams. CIOs should focus on breaking down silos to ensure all areas of the business are involved in equity decisions and understand their importance.
Risk audits and lifecycle checkpoints.Risk assessments and checkpoints throughout the technology lifecycle, especially before deployment, ensure IT teams consider equity before and during technology implementation.
Data ethics. Data ethics and transparency policies are essential for equitable tech. Measures such as bias-free data sourcing, explainability standards, privacy controls and inclusive data modeling can keep data secure and private.
Equity-focused decisions reduce friction, improve product longevity and ultimately lead to better ROI.
Krunal VyasCEO, iQlance Solutions
Workforce and customer equity considerations
CIOs must consider both their employees and customers when adopting new or emerging technologies to ensure they are equitable.
"Organizations that prioritize equitable technology tend to see stronger adoption, fewer downstream fixes and higher trust from both employees and customers," Vyas said. "In my experience, equity-focused decisions reduce friction, improve product longevity and ultimately lead to better ROI."
CIOs can ensure tech is equitable and accessible for all groups by focusing on the following areas:
Inclusive employee reskilling strategies. "Equitable tech also means democratizing access to skills, tools and outcomes," Tarafdar said. "We've seen the biggest impact when organizations invest in role-based AI upskilling and empower employees to become expert AI users and builders." As emerging tech displaces some jobs, CIOs must focus on inclusive reskilling opportunities, so job displacement does not disproportionately affect certain groups.
Impact analysis on marginalized groups. Before implementing new tech, CIOs should take a comprehensive look at how it may affect marginalized groups, including risks of algorithmic bias and automated decision-making.
Accessibility and UX standards. Emerging tech should align with accessibility and UX standards, which should be a core part of technology adoption strategies. When partnering with vendors, CIOs should evaluate partners based on their dedication to accessibility and compliance standards as technology evolves and scales.
"The goal of equitable technology is to eliminate needless obstacles so that more people can participate, not to lower the bar," Jajodia said. "The same is true for consumers: Markets that could otherwise grow are excluded by tools designed exclusively for experts."
Tools, standards and models to support equity
Equity should be a continuous process, supported by tested tools and frameworks that align with business strategies and close equity gaps.
"CIOs need to ask who really benefits from a system and who is at risk," said David Tomasian, founder and CEO of Curious, an AI-powered browser.
CIOs must implement ethical AI frameworks to ensure emerging AI tech, such as agentic AI, is compliant and ethical, especially when handling and storing sensitive data. These frameworks could include IEEE for AI design, NIST for risk-management frameworks and bias guidance, and ISO for compliance standards.
Organizations can also implement open source fairness tools to support equity in emerging tech, such as IBM's AI Fairness 360 toolkit and Google Model Cards.
KPIs and metrics: How CIOs can measure equitable tech
Measuring employees' experiences with new technologies is just as important as implementing equity standards. By understanding how equity initiatives affect tech and vice versa, organizations can adjust and optimize strategies to address gaps.
CIOs should measure equitable tech through KPIs, including the following:
Fairness audit scorecards.
Diversity in data representation.
Accessibility compliance goals.
Workforce change impact metrics.
Complaint and appeal rate from automated decision-making.
Community impact assessment scores.
Alison Roller is a freelance writer with experience in tech, HR and marketing.
