Early computer technology was quite unhuman and largely misunderstood by the masses. Its usefulness remained in the obscurity of the programmer’s mind until Jobs and Wozniak created a human-centric approach called Apple. I think we can agree this was an improvement in the marriage of humanity and technology. In a very general sense, the introduction of Apple closed the divide between human and machine and elevated the use of computers to a practical, everyday level that continues expanding today.

Still, other attempts at elevating the human condition through technology turned out to be enigmatic at best. We already mentioned the progression from x-rays to nuclear weapons using the same basic technology. But there was also the progression of car engines to automatic weapons, from the basic technology of combustion. In the U.S. alone, we’ve seen the profoundly negative effect automatic weapons can have. The point here isn’t to argue for or against gun control; the point is simply that the proper marriage of humanity and technology isn’t crystal clear. Nonetheless, it is still important to try to get it right.

We can’t convince every last earthbound innovator to think of the broadest implications of their creations (although we wish we could). And we can’t convince every global citizen to think humanity-first with every action and investment of resources (again, this doesn’t diminish our wishes). However, we can offer a broad and broadly accepted framework that will serve as a guide for our primary objectives in this human-tech marriage, to ensure that we are protecting, promoting, and advancing the goals of humanity, not suppressing them.

A future world better than today is within reach. The tools are available — within us and around us. Consensus is attainable where it matters most. But we must agree to wise guidelines, allow creative freedom to flourish within them, and then apply ourselves individually in supportive and innovative roles. Maslow’s pyramid provides a simple, human-first framework for the technology we create, invest in, and adopt collectively. It shows us where our inventions and innovations must fall to ensure they are meeting important human needs, and it provides a sense of accountability to govern a holistic, global effort.

There are also many self-interests posing as friends of humanity. These are difficult to spot and avoid if we are divided. They are not difficult to spot if we share the same vision. Every human matters today. Not just from a humanitarian standpoint either — also from a very practical standpoint. Technology will define us instead of the other way around if we allow fragmented innovation and adoption. That’s not to say we advocate a universal system of laws that constrain us. It’s to say that unless at least the majority of us put humanity first, and assert ourselves in this cause, another majority will arise, as it always has. And it generally forms by way of either force or finances. These cannot weigh down the future we desire, let alone derail it altogether.

It’s no longer enough to assert that democracy is supreme. Democracy must be shaped by us through the one global relationship that can either destroy it or elevate it indefinitely: humanity’s partnership with technology. How we lead or don’t lead this partnership today, in these next immediate years, will define life on this planet indefinitely. Let’s lead. All of us together.