A little more than a year ago, in a post that kicked off a series on AI and philanthropy on the CEP blog, we asked, “What does ChatGPT Know About Philanthropy?” A year later, that question has been turned on its head; what we hear more often is some version of, “what does philanthropy know about AI?” Or, “how is philanthropy using AI?” Or even, “what are philanthropy’s responsibilities when it comes to AI?” These are all valid, important questions and, as one group of authors on the CEP blog pointed out while exhorting philanthropy to play a greater role in the development and deployment of AI in the social sector, “while we may not like change, we will like irrelevance a whole lot less.” Collected here are a series of posts on the CEP blog, from a variety of AI and social impact experts, on the burgeoning technology and philanthropy’s role in understanding, building, and deploying it.
An AI Roadmap for Philanthropy in 2025
“We have entered an era when technology is no longer just a set of tools but a potentially disruptive force — one that calls for informed leadership to reduce harm and amplify positive impact. We have an opportunity to reimagine our internal organizational culture, to fortify a greater commitment to learning and impact in service of our communities, and to live deeper into our shared values of generosity, commitment and more common good.“
Jean Westrick, Executive Director, Technology Association of Grantmakers
Navigating AI from Programs to Operations: Lessons from the Annenberg Foundation
“We find ourselves at a pivotal moment in philanthropy: The choices we make about emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) right now could have lasting impacts on the communities we serve.“
Cinny Kennard, Executive Director, Annenberg Foundation; and Chantal Forster, AI Strategy Resident, Annenberg Foundation
Consumers to Creators: Philanthropy and Nonprofits Can Build AI for Impact
“AI opens the door to abundant possibilities for changemakers. But siloed efforts and gaps in capacity impede too many nonprofits from safely participating.”
Vilas Dhar, President, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation and Yolanda Botti-Lodovico, Policy and Advocacy Lead, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation
Responsible AI: How Philanthropy Can (and Should) Support the Movement
“We are all individually called to experiment and learn about AI, warts and all, but funding is the critical element to ensure that AI is harnessed for good.”
Rachel Kimber, Speaker, Consultant, and Grantmaking Strategist; Joanna Drew, Founder, Hilo Consulting; Ravit Dotan, Founder and CEO, TechBetter; and Mark Greer II, Co-Executive Director, Transforming Power Fund
It’s Time for Philanthropy to Get Involved Driving Equity in AI
“AI will tremendously impact our society and how we work, including philanthropists and social and education sector practitioners. Thus, foundation leaders must take steps to learn about AI and envision how it will reshape their and their grantees’ activities with a view toward how to drive more equitable outcomes. “
Sarah di Troia, Senior Strategic Advisor, Product Innovation, Project Evident
What Does ChatGPT Know About Philanthropy?
“In this first post, we thought we’d just see what ChatGPT 4 can do — and what it knows about philanthropy. We posed some tough questions about the philanthropic sector right now (some serious and some not-so-serious…). We were surprised, impressed, and a little bit unnerved by its answers.”
Chloe Heskett, Editor and Writer, CEP
