Design Concept: Scaffolding Geopolitical Reflection Among Tech Workers

Tech workers are geopolitical actors whose decisions matter internationally: The paper argues that technology companies and their employees shape international dynamics through their work, yet most "Responsible AI" frameworks don't acknowledge this reality or help workers understand their role in geopolitical systems.

Current responsible AI approaches miss the bigger picture: Existing Responsible Innovation and Responsible AI initiatives focus on narrow ethical issues but rarely engage with the broader geopolitical narratives and assumptions that actually drive AI development decisions.

Storytelling and interactive scenarios can build critical awareness: Rather than lecturing tech workers about ethics, the paper proposes using speculative narratives and interactive stories to help them examine their own assumptions, values, and position within larger sociotechnical systems—a less preachy approach than traditional ethics training.

Reflexivity matters more than rules: The design emphasizes encouraging workers to reflect critically on themselves and their context, rather than imposing prescriptive rules about what they should or shouldn't do, suggesting that self-awareness may be more effective for responsible technology development.

Geopolitics belongs in tech ethics conversations: The paper identifies a significant gap: responsible technology initiatives rarely discuss how geopolitical power dynamics influence AI development, despite growing recognition in international relations scholarship that technology firms are key geopolitical players.