Hello, fellow changemakers and innovators! Today, we're diving into a topic that's been on my mind lately: the need to unlearn our preconceptions about AI technology. As AI continues to reshape our world, it’s crucial that we shift our perspective on this technology to create a more inclusive and equitable future. Grab a cup of your favorite beverage, and let’s explore why unlearning our biases about AI is essential for driving social good.
Why Unlearn Our AI Attitudes?
In social justice and antiracist spaces, we often talk about unlearning—the process of recognizing and dismantling ingrained biases. It’s time we apply this concept to how we view AI. Many of us have absorbed fears and misconceptions about AI from media, sci-fi, or simply fear of the unknown. But here’s the thing: AI isn’t just about robots or job displacement. It’s a powerful tool for promoting equity and inclusion when applied thoughtfully. To unlock its full potential, we need to unlearn the outdated fears that hold us back and embrace the transformative possibilities of AI.
AI Summer Camp: Identity, Leadership, and Technology
Just last week, I wrapped up an AI Summer Camp, and now 10 women are AI experts. We are choosing leadership. We are learning emergent tools. We are educating our communities. These women embody the intersection of identity, leadership, and technology, demonstrating how AI can empower us to shape a more equitable future. I’ve also been empowering others in my community with AI—whether it’s running an impromptu ChatGPT training for a sports journalist during a foundation-sponsored happy hour, or guiding a local nonprofit leader in the 65+ age group while on vacation in the Adirondacks. These moments remind me that as we unlearn our AI anxieties, we are also choosing leadership and we will define the future of our communities.
What is Unlearning?
“Unlearning" refers to the process of recognizing and actively working to dismantle ingrained biases, prejudices, and systems of privilege and oppression. It’s like spring cleaning for our minds—we’re clearing out the cobwebs of old beliefs to make room for more inclusive and equitable thinking. The same way we challenge outdated notions about race, gender, or class, we must challenge our internalized beliefs about AI. By doing so, we can drive equity in our sector and ensure that technology serves as a tool for social good, not a barrier.
AI Unlearning: People, Process and Tools
In an era where technology is reshaping every aspect of our lives, the nonprofit sector stands at a crucial intersection of innovation and social impact. AI has emerged as a powerful tool not just for efficiency but as a catalyst for transformative change across office cultures.
PROCESS: Redefining Operational Strategy
Operational strategy is often built around the concept of “digital transformation,” which includes the transition from filing cabinets and dusty servers to The Cloud and Enterprise-Level Systems of Record. Data governance protocols, system owners, and data stewards may not yet be named at your organization, but data powers AI. And this new tool demands the completion of digital transformation to fully function or provide ROI on AI-tuned investments. Succinctly, data is GOLD and it must flow through databases to drive insight and inform decision making.
Convening a robust data governance committee with an AI-inclusive lens is a critical first step toward AI adoption and unlearning.
UNLEARN: Technology is part of overhead, which is capped at 10% of the operating budget.
LEARN: Technology is critical infrastructure that facilitates mission achievement and requires regular investment and maintenance.
UNLEARN: Data is trapped in untouchable spreadsheets.
LEARN: Data is fuel for AI acceleration. Use it carefully.
UNLEARN: AI is a tool for lazy cheats.
LEARN: AI can accelerate any workflow and must be applied with caution, ample feedback loops, and human-assisted implementation.
Within the next five years, 41% of Microsoft-surveyed leaders expect to redesign business processes from the ground up with AI.
PEOPLE: Evolving Roles and Competencies
Given the upcoming operational strategy updates (see above), job descriptions assigned to your role are continuing to change. Just as “competency with MS Office tools” is standard language on many white-collar job postings, so too will “AI-adept” become. Microsoft says 66% of leaders surveyed wouldn’t hire someone without AI skills.
What can you do to begin unlearning about AI? Join a training.
To truly serve diverse communities, AI systems must be designed with inclusivity at their core. This means ensuring that diverse perspectives are represented in every stage of AI development, from data collection to model implementation. You need to know what the tool does in order to advise on how it can do better.
Once trained, how can you leverage AI to dismantle ingrained biases, promote inclusivity, and drive equitable and impactful outcomes? That is what you will figure out when you start using AI to assess programmatic impact. You can ASK Claude if they can help you spot bias in program exit surveys. Einstein WILL provide data-based insights that will fuel your theory of change.
You will be able to find funders that align with your work—quickly, efficiently, and with only a little bit of natural language prompting to get there—not hours of combing through for-pay data repositories. You will be able to collate content for funders’ final report needs. Data analysis in partnership with AI will allow nonprofits to develop compelling and data-based narratives. You will be able to describe, concisely, and in English, your programmatic outcomes for grant applications.
TOOLS: Ethical AI Use in Nonprofit Operations
This cuts to the heart of the matter: Is it ok for fundraisers to submit grant applications developed in partnership with AI?
The nonprofit sector spans a power imbalance with philanthropy and private donors on one end and direct service and grassroots organizers at the other end. Those with the power make the rules. Fundraisers are facing burnout, and the efficiency gains from using AI in grant writing are tremendous. 23% of philanthropies have stated that they do not/will not accept AI-generated applications. Inequity is rife. Reputations are at stake. What is lazy? What is smart use of new tools? What is dishonest? Microsoft reports that 52% of people who use AI at work are reluctant to admit to using it for their most important tasks.
57% of Candid survey participants said they didn’t know whether they’ve received grant applications created by generative AI. One funder wrote, “Program Officers have received some applications they suspect were created with AI, but no applicants have explicitly stated it.”
Transparency in AI operations is crucial for building trust and ensuring accountability. The power-privilege dance and the AI unlearning journey ahead will make this point about ethical transparency hotly debated.
Embracing AI for a More Equitable Future
As we look to the future, it's clear that AI will play an increasingly significant role in shaping the nonprofit landscape. As we embrace this AI-driven future, let’s remember that technology is a tool—its true power lies in how we choose to use it. By leveraging AI for equity and transformation, nonprofits can pave the way for a future where technology and social good go hand in hand, creating lasting positive change for all.
The recent AI Summer Camp I led is a powerful example of what’s possible when we include women and other tech-marginalized voices in this cultural shift. The 10 women who became AI experts aren’t just participants—they’re pioneers, demonstrating the immense potential of diverse perspectives in AI. Their leadership, grounded in their unique experiences and identities, is exactly what we need to drive the responsible and inclusive use of AI. AI isn't here to replace our authenticity or our human touch; it's here to enhance it. It’s about leveling the playing field, giving us the power to excel and contribute meaningfully without burning out.
So, my fellow changemakers, let's not shy away from this wave of innovation. Together, we can nudge our collective brilliance forward, one algorithm at a time. And always remember: if you're not using your brain, you're using AI wrong!
