Episode 40: Building Trust in the AI Era with Cherian Koshy
Overview
In today’s conversation, Cherian Koshy reflects on the evolution of technology, transparency, and the role of AI in nonprofit fundraising. Starting with personal stories, Cherian and Nathan discuss the early technology adoption in their careers and the transformative “Aha” moments that shaped their understanding of tech innovation.
Cherian highlights the potential of AI, sharing his reaction to Notebook LM’s audio file generation and exploring the implications of AI-generated content. The conversation pivots to transparency, with Cherian stressing the importance of nonprofits being open about their AI use, especially when handling donor data. He emphasizes that trust is a cornerstone for donor relationships, reinforced by insights from a recent survey showing donors prioritize transparency and are increasingly comfortable with AI, though privacy concerns remain. Wrapping up, both speakers emphasize the need for ongoing research, collaboration, and sector-wide transparency to build trust and responsibly integrate AI into nonprofit strategies.
Episode highlights
- 00:55 Fundraising AI Summit Highlights
- 06:03 Notebook LM and Its Implications
- 09:23 Hidden Influences in Technology
- 15:37 Innovative Survey Techniques
- 19:08 Donor Perspectives on AI
- 23:58 The Role of Transparency in AI Use
- 29:46 Survey Findings and Donor Concerns
- 31:55 Report on Healthcare Philanthropy
- 33:02 Future Directions
Tips and tools to implement today
- Explore AI for synthesizing content and demos.
- Identify key tech moments to boost innovation.
- Ensure AI use is clear and openly communicated.
- Maintain trust by combining AI and human interaction.
- Ask donors directly about their AI concerns.
- Customize approaches for different donor segments.
- Proactively disclose AI usage to build donor confidence.
- Explore donor insights for tailored approaches.
- Be cautious about AI's influence.
- Engage in sector-wide collaboration for AI research.
Favorite quotes
- "We're at a point where the impact is happening before we even know what the technology is." - Cherian Koshy
- "It was hard enough to keep up with what the technology looked like back then, and now it's coming at us from all angles and evolving on its own at this point." - Cherian Koshy
- "My worry with a lot of the technology that we're dealing with right now is that it's very good to the point where you don't know that you're being manipulated." - Cherian Koshy
- "With all of the other applications of AI that have been around for a long time, it is manipulative. I'm saying it is manipulative." - Cherian Koshy
- "We perceive technology as nascent, but we don't actually have control over what it's convincing us, and that's where I start to get worried about where the technology will end up, even if it thinks it's being a beneficent dictator." - Cherian Koshy
- "Particularly leadership, whether it's executive leadership in an organization, or board members who need to be convinced of the fact that we shouldn't be running full speed at acquiring the most number of donors at the largest amount in the shortest amount of time without any kind of guardrails." - Cherian Koshy
- "Donors that are more comfortable and familiar with AI are more bullish about the use cases, are more open to different variations of what that looks like in organizations. And then those that are less familiar, and therefore less comfortable, start to get very nervous about things that, would be potentially like privacy concerns or transparency concerns." - Cherian Koshy
- "We've all been in the fundraising nonprofit sector for long enough to see things come and go, and some things explode in a good way, some things explode in a bad way." - Cherian Koshy
- "60% of donors that we surveyed said they were concerned about privacy and security of data, but the same amount, 60.2%—so just a smidge, like probably one more person—said that they were concerned about losing the human interaction in fundraising. And then the next highest response was about the loss of staffing in nonprofits." - Cherian Koshy
- "Let's keep following that lead and making sure that we're making the best decisions possible as a sector." - Cherian Koshy
Connect with us
This episode is sponsored by AI for Anyone.
