Retaining Autonomy in the Age of AI
Navigating the use of Artificial Intelligence with more intention.
Art by Pancho Peskador
Image Description: A coyote walks along a street and leaves a trail of tracks with sprouting plants and mushrooms.
In the past few years, Artificial Intelligence has gone from a background topic of conversation to a part of our everyday lives. Recently, it’s been described as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is impacting the workforce in ways we still don’t fully understand. In the social sector, it’s become part of our search, meeting summary, and writing tools. And in our daily lives, it can cause confusion in social media images, in Spotify suggested playlists, or in predictive typing on our phones.
This past year, I’ve observed organizations reflexively adopting AI in hopes of increasing efficiency. Others are using it haphazardly, with staff experimenting across the organization with little to no discussion about when it is appropriate, how to mitigate risks, or where its use does not align with the organization’s values. Recently, some consulting firms have seized the opportunity to sell AI-ready tools in daily operations.
Before jumping on the AI bandwagon, I invite those of us committed to working with low-income and systemically marginalized communities to define our organization’s approach to Artificial Intelligence (AI) before it is defined for us. We need to step back and pause long enough to understand AI enough to answer strategic questions.
What should remain human-led in our organizations? What data should never be entered into AI tools? What uses of AI might create harm for our staff, communities, applicants, clients, donors, or partners? What are we willing to use AI for, and what are we not willing to use it for?
Retaining autonomy in the age of AI means making intentional choices: using technology when it is aligned with our values, mission, and the communities we serve. We can’t let convenience become the only measure of whether something is worth using.
There are myriad issues to consider. Click on the link here to access our Leader’s Guide to Retaining Autonomy in the Age of AI.