Episode 65: Assume Anything Is Possible: AI, Philanthropy, and the Future
Overview
From outdated best practices to the rise of agentic AI, the world of artificial intelligence is changing by the day. Reshaping how we work, lead, and give, AI is evolving faster than any other technology we’ve seen before. In this episode, Nathan and Scott comment on the urgency and importance of mindset shifts around AI, the emergence of new roles, and the delicate balance between automation and human supervision. The need for ethical standards in sectors like fundraising in using AI and the role of AI in unlocking generosity are also highlighted in this episode. If you are curious about the wonderful things that are possible with the help of AI, or simply just cautious, or both, this conversation will help you navigate the future of AI.
Episode highlights
- 02:00 Annual Bridge Conference, National Harbor, MD.
- 07:47 Perceptions vs. reality of AI adoption in the nonprofit sector.
- 12:10 The inevitability of change.
- 18:24 The recent USA AI action plan.
- 24:34 Setting the standard for responsible AI use.
- 29:02 The evolution of agentic AI.
- 34:28 The balance between automation and human oversight.
- 39:13 Navigating AI’s impact on job markets.
- 42:08 The role of AI in the future of philanthropy.
Tips and tools to implement today
- Change is happening fast whether you like it or not. Get comfortable with discomfort.
- Foster a culture of curiosity. Test tools without the fear of doing it ‘wrong.’
- Traditional AI helps you ‘think’ while agentic AI helps you ‘do.’ Know the difference.
- Define what AI can do for you. Let AI be the assistant, not the decider.
- Recognize the shift and explore emerging roles related to AI.
- Take the advantage and learn about the still developing AI models.
Favorite quotes
- “Essentially, we're building safe AI to the point of something bad happening, but never getting ahead of it to prevent something bad from happening.” - Nathan Chappell
- “The exponential pace of technology doesn't match mathematically the incremental pace of governance.” - Nathan Chappell
- “We're always trying to play catch up, and it's always going to be a couple steps ahead of us.” - Scott Rosenkrans
- “At any moment, someone has full control over these models that we're using, and can decide to change the weightings to whatever their pleasure. And as a nonprofit, if you're using them, and those changes impact your work negatively, you come under fire.” - Scott Rosenkrans
- “If you absolutely believe that we operate in the currency of trust, the framework that works for Nike and Samsung and Amazon and Google and Microsoft by design cannot work for fundraising, which is why we have our own responsible and beneficial framework.” - Nathan Chappell
- “Social media is the symptom. I think the reason why social media is so toxic is because of AI.” - Scott Rosenkrans
- “Ethics is a hard thing to answer. So it's an easy thing to put up as a blocker.” - Scott Rosenkrans
Connect with us
This episode is sponsored by AI for Anyone.
