The Simmons Center for Global Chicago's AI for Good Symposium

The Simmons Center for Global Chicago's AI for Good Symposium yesterday brought together nonprofit leaders in the international space to learn about AI applications. 

During the panel moderated by Ariel G. Schwartz, Ph.D. with Vess Natchev of Heifer International and Aidan Berger of The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, some key takeaways were:

✨ As a sector, let’s use AI to build agency and purpose – not cede our power to those who use AI while we are left behind.

✨ As Vess shared, there are a few ways to begin with AI: personal productivity improvement, organizational operational efficiencies, and program execution.

✨ There is no one-size-fits all solution to AI adoption, the most important question to ask yourself is what problem do you need to solve? Organizations of different sizes and budgets will have different problems.

✨ Aidan mentioned that the onus is on funders to ensure that the sector is coordinating on AI applications so as not to duplicate efforts, but rather to learn from one another. Hence the The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation’s AI Use Case Library: https://lnkd.in/gS4pf7QE 

Check out Trek Medics International and Digital Green’s AI applications, and Zindi https://zindi.africa/ for inspiration.

Also, during the workshop I facilitated, it was clear that all of us are at many different stages in AI exploration: from hard skepticism to newly experimental to seasoned users adept at segmenting communications for various audiences. 

A recurring theme throughout was authenticity, with resonating questions of how we can use these tools while remaining authentic to our values, our voices, and those whom we serve.