AI does not excite me, it worries me. Everyone (or nearly everyone) has been jumping into the AI bandwagon like it\u2019s the biggest invention since the steam engine, but I find it absolutely underwhelming at best, and frightening at worst. I have tried to integrate it into my grant development workflow, but my skepticism has only deepened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t get me wrong, I\u2019m no techno-Luddite. In fact, the opposite is true: I\u2019m a techno-geek who laps up news about tech innovations, both of the hardware and software kind. Ever since the PC was invented, I have been addicted to chip-run machines and other gadgets and would save money to buy the latest ones just to try them out (and sell them later). I also dabbled in web development \u2013 teaching myself Joomla, Drupal, WordPress and SMF, then setting up websites for my friends. I loved Free, Open Source Software (FOSS) when everyone I knew was content with Windows and MS Office, trying out the latest Linux distros and related ecosystem apps (LibreOffice, GIMP, etc.) and installing them in my friends\u2019 computers (and occasionally at the workplace). When CRMs came along, I got excited too, as I found them very useful for my profession as a nonprofit fundraiser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the buzz about AI started, I tried them out and was immediately puzzled. Why are people enthralled over a software that basically summarizes people\u2019s ideas and data outputs, and then spews them out on a query without even vetting their sources? I have been doing research for as far back as I can remember, and for me this is a dangerous habit. I also knew that such software is only as good (or bad) as the information it absorbs, even preserving biases and prejudices that its creators have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My skepticism went further downhill when the \u201cGodfather of AI\u201d himself, Geoffrey Hinton, voiced out fears on its lack of regulation and its rapid progress, which may lead to AI models possessing levels of knowledge that would make human intervention absolutely unnecessary. \u201cIf you want to know how it’s like not to be the apex intelligence, ask a chicken,\u201d he reportedly said in a BBC interview. Some of its biggest developers, including Elon Musk, also voiced out similar apprehensions on AI\u2019s unregulated growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Apparently, investors are excited about it for the biggest potential it holds: automation and labor cost-cutting. The prospect of increasing profits through workforce redundancy is always something that whips up bubble-making frenzy among venture capitalists, unemployment and recession be damned. This lemming-like rush to throw money at AI development is the reason for its phenomenal progress, with even the nonprofit sector being pressured by CSR funding hints towards integrating AI into their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was once asked in a job interview for a fundraising role: \u201cHow do you aim to enhance the use of AI in fundraising for us?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite finding that question ineffably weird and being tempted to answer \u201cI don\u2019t,\u201d I mumbled something about already using AI when I do Google searches. Because you see, I feel insulted that I would need to run to AI to write a grant proposal narrative, for instance. Or worse, turning to AI when I need to do research on high net-worth individuals. Call me old school all you want, but I am proud of my ability to fundraise without needing biased suggestions from a software. I got enough brains and experience to do that by myself, thank you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Needless to say, I didn\u2019t get the job. But I kept my dignity and self-respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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AI does not excite me, it worries me. Everyone (or nearly everyone) has been jumping into the AI bandwagon like it\u2019s the biggest invention since the steam engine, but I find it absolutely underwhelming at best, and frightening at worst. I have tried to integrate it into my grant development workflow, but my skepticism has … <\/p>\n