Face The Politics of AI with Internal and External AI Policies

While AI has benefits in efficiency and scale, the politics of AI and its social impact cannot be ignored. Nonprofits need to be active participants in this narrative and, to do so, they need to understand the nonprofit’s place in the political aspects of AI. The solution is to make strong, ethical internal and external AI policies to mitigate the implications, writes Nicholas Azulay for Nonprofit News Feed.

The political division around generative AI reveals two extremes. There are pro-AI absolutists and anti-AI absolutists with nonprofits trapped in the middle. These arguments are playing out on social media platforms such as X or LinkedIn, and younger generations are more likely to be skeptical of this technology.

Pro-AI absolutists argue that AI can be used to improve schools, cities, and education. Nonprofits specifically can benefit from saving time and money, and get help with research and communication. Pro-AI absolutists maintain that AI is the future and nonprofits do not want to ignore it and risk falling behind.

The Anti-AI absolutists believe that AI is unreliable, immoral, and jeopardizes privacy. AI tends to hallucinate or follow harmful biases. These absolutists oppose data centers and argue that the environmental impact of these data centers contradicts the mission of humanitarianism. AI can also be used for unethical purposes and is not a secure platform for sensitive information.

Azulay argues that both sides of these absolutists have good points. However, Azulay argues that the polarization misses the point. AI has positive and negative ramifications, but it is not going away, and there are more ethical ways to use it. Inform your audience about your organization’s AI use,the goals behind its integration, and the safety precautions in place. 

Develop internal and external AI policies to protect your nonprofit and members. A good internal AI policy should have clear guidelines for AI use regarding transparency and cyber safety. An effective external AI policy gives clarity to your members on how and why AI is used to build security and trust.