Privacy, Power, and Performance: How Investors Can Evaluate Responsible Tech

In this episode of Future of Finance, host Georges Dyer is joined by Meredith Benton, Founder of Whistlestop Capital and the TechForward Investors Initiative, for a deep dive into what responsible AI and tech accountability really mean for long-term investors. Meredith unpacks TechForward’s multi-year research effort evaluating governance and privacy practices across 50 major U.S.-domiciled public companies with significant technology exposure. Rather than relying on surface-level ESG scores, the initiative draws on extensive stakeholder input from civil society organizations to identify governance criteria that signal whether companies are prepared to manage the societal impacts of rapidly evolving technologies like artificial intelligence. The conversation explores why traditional ESG frameworks often fall short in capturing tech-related risks, how privacy can serve as a critical test case for effective governance, and why executive-level expertise in human rights and societal impacts is emerging as one of the strongest indicators of both accountability and financial performance. Meredith also discusses how investors can think about aggregated risk, AI-driven uncertainty, disclosure gaps, and the growing responsibility of universal owners stewarding capital for the long term. Together, Georges and Meredith examine what this research means for asset managers, asset owners, and analysts navigating an increasingly complex tech landscape — and why governance, not speed or hype, will ultimately determine whether today’s innovation supports long-term prosperity. This episode is brought to you by Metis Global Partners. Keywords: Responsible AI, Tech accountability, AI governance, Investor stewardship, Privacy as a human right, ESG and technology, Corporate governance, Long-term investment risk, Universal ownership, Financial performance and governance