Setting Goals for AI Means a Nonprofit AI Policy
By now, we’ve all heard about AI and have started to consider how it can make our lives a little easier. For many, however, AI also brings a lot of fear and trepidation. Both nonprofit organizations and for-profit companies need to carefully think through and define how they are using AI. This includes writing a nonprofit AI policy for your organization. As a creative and strategy-based company that works with nonprofits, we see both the benefits and challenges that AI can bring.
In 2023, we began experimenting with AI to explore how to use it in an ethical and creative way. We started with the basic premise that AI could be a valuable collaborator, but not the sole generator of ideas.
Like any new tool, AI comes with its challenges. To navigate these, we formed an AI committee with the goal of building a framework that creates guardrails while also leaving room for innovation. Through this committee, we developed a policy to help us address the benefits and challenges of AI. The policy underwent several revisions as we gained more understanding of how the tools worked. We also discovered that working with AI requires experimentation and creativity. Additionally, we added an AI section to our tools list.
Why does your nonprofit need a nonprofit AI policy?
You can’t ignore AI. Our team needed guidance on what they can and can’t do with it. For instance, some state laws require disclosure of AI use in certain types of work, so we wanted to ensure that we weren’t ignoring AI but were also careful about how we incorporate it into our work.
We value ethical and transparent AI use, and our policy aims to ensure that it aligns with our core values while enhancing our team’s efficiency. It’s also essential to have a process for addressing the challenges associated with AI, and a policy, along with a committee, can help with that.
Our AI policy and how we use it:
AI as a tool:
We view AI as a tool and a partner for helping with tasks and ideas but not driving output.
Review AI output:
Every AI output must be proofread and fact-checked. Always review any AI-generated or AI-assisted content for accuracy before publishing. AI can be a valuable tool, but it cannot handle strategic and creative work alone.
Data security is key:
We refrain from inputting personal or client data into AI tools. We also make sure we vet the tools we use based on their cloud AI policies to ensure our information is not training AI models.
Using AI for external and internal art:
We do not use AI art tools or images for client art programs due to potential state law and contract issues. Visual AI tools can be used for creative concepts or directions but may not be used in final client work. This approach allows us to innovate and develop new concepts and creative directions without violating any laws or regulations.
Review public domain photos:
Our team uses AIornot.com to verify that public domain photos pulled from the web have not been altered by AI without our knowledge.
Update to the AI policy and meet regularly about it:
Our policy is updated on a regular basis due to evolving technology and policy changes. We have an AI committee that meets twice a month and looks at various AI tools, best practices, and innovation with an eye toward how it can be utilized in our work.
What are our future goals for AI?
Our future goals are to continue to use AI tools for collaboration, innovation, and efficiency in our work. We will continue exploring more use of best-in-class AI tools to experiment with in the nonprofit, advocacy, and political spaces.
Remember a good nonprofit AI policy can help:
An AI policy will communicate to your team how to use AI and what the organization’s goals are regarding it. You don’t want to leave your AI policy ambiguous. Without a clear policy, your team might use AI without informing you, which can create unnecessary discomfort. While AI can bring a lot of fear, a well-crafted policy and an AI committee can provide guardrails while still leaving room for innovation.
Have questions about how to write a nonprofit AI policy? Drop us a note to connect and check out our tools list where we feature nonprofit campaign tools with a new AI section.