Are nonprofits getting $50,000,000 for AI adoption from OpenAI? That’s what they said...and here's my personal take on it. Last month, OpenAI announced a $50M commitment to support nonprofits and community organizations working at the intersection of AI and public good. (something I'm all about) But behind the single-page press release is something more interesting. OpenAI created a public report that included the voices of over 500+ people making an impact. Teachers, organizers, faith leaders, healthcare workers, youth advocates, people who live the impact of broken systems every day. So what came out of it? A 38-page public report with one clear message: 𝗔𝗜 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝘁. Here’s what they’re actually calling for in the report: 𝟭. 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀. The money’s not just for “AI adoption.” It’s for retraining workers. Building civic infrastructure. Keeping health systems afloat. Funding local organizing. The things that keep people safe when systems shift. 𝟮. 𝗔𝗜 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿. The Commission called for AI to be made understandable, through translation, storytelling, and trusted local leaders. Because if people can’t understand AI, they can’t shape it. And if they can’t shape it, it doesn’t serve them. 𝟯. 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗽𝘆 𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳. Less top-down charity. More power-sharing. More experimentation. More public reporting. And more decisions being made 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 the communities funding is supposed to support, not just 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 them. 🤔 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲: History is full of examples of how new technologies consolidate wealth and power into fewer hands. I worry AI will do the same, unless we fight like hell to prevent it. That’s going to take real intention and real investment, not just PR. I have to admit that I'm skeptical. Is this going to be a real shift in structure and access, or just a shift in language? We don’t know yet. The details are still vague. $50 million is a lot of money, but we don’t know exactly who will get it, what they can use it for, or how decisions will be made.

Happy Monday. Quick question for you all. What's something important that must get done this week? And let's talk about how AI can help directly with that thing. I’ve been thinking about a conversation I have a lot when I talk to nonprofit leaders about AI. The pushback usually sounds like this: “I should be using AI but I don't have time to learn it” And honestly? I get it. When you’re juggling 57 things already, the idea of learning something new, especially something that sounds as big (and technical) as AI, feels like a luxury you can’t afford. But here’s a reframe that might help: What if you didn’t need to carve out time for AI? What if you just used it on the important things you’re already doing? Not new tasks. Not extra work. Just the stuff already sitting on your to-do list. Because that’s the thing with AI. It’s not a tool for “later.” It can help with what you are already working on. It’s not for the someday projects, it’s for the important things you need to do right now. Like that event invite you still need to send. Or the grant report you’re dreading. Or whatever else you've been avoiding or feels like a big scary task. Here’s a quick way to try it: Here is the exact step-by-step approach I suggest. 1.Open ChatGPT and use the microphone button, (seriously, try using your voice to talk to AI) 2.Start with: “The goal of this conversation is...” 3.Then say: “Your role is to act as an expert...” 4.And finally: “Your task is to help me do...” That’s it. No need to be fancy. Just be clear on what you want and be sure to include enough details for it to work with. This isn’t about mastering AI. It’s about making your life easier this week. So...what’s one thing on your plate this week you could use AI to help with? Drop it in the comments. Let’s swap ideas and see where this thing can take us.

Welcome to the AI For Social Good Community Group! Introduce yourself and how you are contributing to make the world a better place by answering the following questions 1. Who are you helping? 2. How are you helping? 3. (Optional) Share a link to a website or LinkedIn profile to share more details There are so many things that need fixed in our communities and our environment. And everyone has unique passions for how they are working towards a better world. So share yours and say hello to fellow social impact leaders that are committed to using AI for good.