Losing your business identity in the AI hype

It’s crucial that as artificial intelligence (AI) implementation continues throughout various working sectors, organisations don’t lose their organic approach.

The AI hype is overpowering, and organisations are racing to implement it in as many business practices and procedures as they can, much to the risk of sacrificing their business identity. The human factor is still the most important asset that organisations have when it comes to achieving positive business outcomes, yet many are disregarding it for the new toy that is AI.

HR Leader recently spoke to Katherine Raskob, chief executive of the Fundraising Institute Australia, to discuss the effects that AI and new digital technologies are having on the sector as a whole.

Integrating AI obviously has its benefits. In the charity sector especially, it can free up time from repetitive and monotonous duties and allow workers to pursue more important tasks. The new technologies also offer enhanced systems that can grow the outreach of the organisation.

“[New digital technologies can help] to capture the attention, imagination, and the generosity of Australians. So, transitioning from some very basic technologies to really significantly enhanced customer technologies, like marketing automation, customer relationship management technology, and learning management systems is increasingly important for charities; otherwise, they’re not going to be able to keep up and get the donations that they need,” Raskob said.

“The charity sector needs to have the same level of sophistication, and its technology and digital technologies need to be able to meet the needs of Australians.”

Adopting AI is a no-brainer for any business or organisation looking to get ahead of the competition. However, it is crucial that organisations don’t get lost in the sauce of the AI hype and thus sacrifice their values and organisational identity.

“It’s a game changer in terms of bringing up the resources for others. But I think one thing we have to be careful of is at the heart of fundraisers’ role is to connect a donor to a cause,” Raskob said.

“Therefore, we, as fundraisers, often think about fundraising and philanthropy as that love connection between what a donor wants to achieve with their money and what a charity needs.”

If AI implementation is pushed to the forefront of an organisation’s priority list and then deployed in numerous practices, you could end up forfeiting that connection, which charity and philanthropy are all about. This is why implementing AI is a balancing act that businesses must understand.

“I think if charities, especially sort of fundraisers, are over-reliant on that automated technology, they may erode a little bit of that trust between them and their donors. Which is why it’s really important that even when those tools are used, that there’s a human lens over the top of them to say, is that truly representing my charity brand and the cause that we’re working to and our mission?” Raskob said.

“Because even as good as those tools are now, and maybe in the future, I don’t think that they’ll really be able to get to the heart of what a charity’s mission is, unless that’s articulated by somebody who lives and breathes it every day. Remaining vigilant is the key.”

Retaining the purity of your organisation is crucial when intertwining new digital technologies like AI. Becoming consumed with AI implementation could doom a business as they can easily lose the identity and values that made their business, organisation, or sector unique in the first place.