Rerelease: Code is About Power, Positionality, & Creativity with Amy Ko

Rerelease: Code is About Power, Positionality, & Creativity with Amy Ko

From Technical Difficulties by Liz Gerber

October 27, 2025 · 31 min · Season 4

About this episode

Amy Ko discusses her experiences in human-computer interaction and the tech industry, emphasizing the importance of equity and creativity in technology.

Welcome back to our rerelease season, where we're highlighting some of our favorite episodes from previous seasons. Join Amy Ko, Professor at the University of Washington Information School, as she recounts her adventures in human-computer interaction, the tech startup world, and academia. She is a leader in computer science education with over 100 published papers and recognition from the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery). Amy researches computing to harness it for play, power, and equity for more technologically just futures. Tune in to hear Amy's perspective on: What sparked her interest in human-computer interaction (HCI) Moving fast and breaking things(?) The startup scene as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Beta release labels are an accountability excuse Critically conscious computing Creative coding Technical Difficulties is hosted by Liz Gerber and produced by Lauren Lin & Gilli Nieh. Special thanks to the Alumnae of Northwestern and Northwestern’s Center for HCI + Design. This episode was edited by Troy Cruz.

People in this episode

Host: Liz Gerber

Guest: Amy Ko

Topics covered

  • human-computer interaction
  • computer science education
  • tech startups
  • creativity in coding
  • equity in technology
  • accountability in tech

Keywords

  • human-computer interaction
  • tech startups
  • computer science education
  • creative coding
  • equity in technology
  • accountability in tech

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Washington Information School, ACM (Association for Computing Machinery), Northwestern, Northwestern’s Center for HCI + Design

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