Since ChatGPT made such a splash in the fall of 2022, companies worldwide have kept a close eye on the development of AI-powered tools. Now, you can’t turn on the news or open a social media app without seeing ads for AI-this or that or promises of AI completely changing the workforce.
Where does AI fit into the nonprofit world? How can organizations reassure their staff that AI isn’t there to replace them but can help make their jobs better?
Reassure Staff That AI Isn’t New to the Workplace
Even though ChatGPT made a big splash in the fall of 2022, AI isn’t new. In fact, you can reassure your team that they have already been using it in some capacity all along! For example, if you use PowerPoint, the popular presentation software, you may have noticed a feature called “Design Ideas.” Click the button, and the program will provide suggested designs to improve the layout and appearance of the slide. This is an example of AI already inside a program you’re already using. Another example is even more common: your cellphone. If you have a feature that fills in frequently used words when you text someone, that’s also AI in action.
So, AI isn’t some new robot that’s replacing human workers. It’s been there all along, and we’ve (mostly) welcomed it within the context of our jobs. When it’s done right, AI simply makes things more efficient. And who doesn’t want to be more efficient at their job?
Provide Staff with Usage Guidelines
Are you currently using ChatGPT and other AI tools? Chances are good that someone on your team is already using them. In that case, it is better to get ahead of the curve and provide helpful usage guidelines than to avoid the topic altogether.
- Allow staff to use AI to generate outlines and brainstorm topic ideas: AI is great for overcoming writer’s block. Instead of facing a blank page without a place to start, use tools like ChatGPT to develop an idea or brainstorm a list, giving people a good starting point.
- Never use AI-generated text without clearly stating it is AI-based or without reading through it to ensure it is accurate. Remember that tools like the free version of ChatGPT rely upon millions of documents but do not have up-to-date information. The system can make mistakes, incorrectly cite things as correct, and provide older information. It can also be plagiarized.
- Include guidelines for what can be fed into AI as source material. Anything ingested into AI becomes part of its database forever—and can be used by anyone else. Any proprietary or confidential information must be kept from the tool, so it does not become part of the repository of information used worldwide.
- Learn and experiment with prompts and keep a log of useful prompts. There’s a knack for asking GenAI the right question in the right way to obtain useful information. Once you’ve discovered it, keep a record of it. Ask your team to share best practices from their experimentations, too.
Improving Jobs—Not Replacing Them
One hundred years ago, many people worked as telephone switchboard operators. A switchboard operator manually connected cables at the phone company switchboard to make sure that calls went through correctly. Now, such things appear only in museums, replaced by an automatic switch and sophisticated call routing software. We don’t even think about connecting a call anymore—it happens in the blink of an eye, and many people take it for granted that this was always the case.
A few years from now, AI will be the norm rather than the exception. Nonprofits will look at it as just another tool, like their word processing or accounting software. It will be a way to do tasks more efficiently, but it cannot replace skilled workers. Emphasize to your team that skills are always valued and that no artificial intelligence, no matter how smart, will ever replace the creativity, ingenuity, and talent of a human being.
Welter Consulting
Welter Consulting bridges people and technology together for effective solutions for nonprofit organizations. We offer software and services that can help you with your accounting needs. Please contact us for more information.
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