Episode 91: Using Fable, Reducing AI’s Carbon Footprint, and Rethinking Nonprofit Work
Overview
AI is changing the way we work, but using it wisely is key to getting real value!
In this conversation, Nathan and Scott talk about Anthropic’s Fable model and how AI tools can help with complex tasks, improve productivity, and support better decision-making. The conversation highlights the importance of choosing the right AI model for the right job instead of using powerful tools for every task.
Another important topic discussed is the environmental impact of AI. Nathan and Scott discuss how responsible AI use can help reduce unnecessary energy use by selecting efficient models, reviewing AI habits, and planning tasks at better times.
The discussion also explores the challenges organizations face when adopting AI. They explain that successful AI adoption is not just about buying new technology but about developing the right strategy, training teams, and ensuring AI supports the organization’s goals.
They also highlight the importance of human-AI collaboration, where people and technology work together to achieve better results. As AI continues to develop rapidly, staying up to date, testing new tools, and using AI responsibly will help organizations make the most of this growing technology.
Episode highlights
- 02:40 Discussion on Anthropic's Fable model
- 08:45 Environmental Impact of AI
- 10:17 Model Routing and AI Adoption
- 19:06 Human-AI Collaboration and Organizational Adaptation
- 28:15 The Emperor's New Clothes Analogy and AI Adoption Challenges
Tips and tools to implement today
- Choose the right AI model for each task.
- Audit your AI usage and impact.
- Use smaller models for simple tasks.
- Schedule AI tasks during off-hours.
- Review default AI settings.
- Train teams on effective AI use.
- Align AI with your organization's goals.
Favorite quotes
- "I'm not asking Fable about the right time to plant pole beans or whatever for my garden. Use a small language model or a less powerful model built for efficiency. One is the environmental impact, but the other is you don't need that kind of horsepower to do something simple." - Nathan Chappell
- "People should try out Claude Fable. And if you buy the personal account because you're not doing anything that requires privacy or security, you get quite a lot from it." - Nathan Chappell
- "You can't use the environmental impact of AI as an excuse for not using AI if you haven't audited the environmental footprint that you already have." - Nathan Chappell
- "What you can do as an end user, and what you can do as an organization or as a leader, is learn about the differences between the models and use the right model for the right task." - Nathan Chappell
- "Model routing is basically understanding that the toolbox in your house has a lot of tools, and you use the right tool for the right project." - Nathan Chappell
- "We're looking at the jobs that need to be done, and then what AI can do, what jobs, and then which people can manage the AI to do those jobs. So this reconfiguring is all about a firmer audit of what are the actual things that are going to move the needle, and I don't think the nonprofit sector is immune from that." - Nathan Chappell
- "Human first, AI forward, where you have humans who are empowered by AI that can actually do more, do it faster, do it better, and be happier in the end." - Nathan Chappell
- "Even within each tool, there are so many different models available now. But most people are just going with whatever is the default and keeping that for easy stuff as well as the most challenging tasks." - Scott Rosenkrans
Connect with us
This episode is sponsored by Microsoft.
