This week I spent time in Boulder talking, learning, and thinking about AI, leadership, and community.
The speakers came prepared with talks asking really engaging questions that, like a good teacher, turn the topic to make you a little uncomfortable and think about it from another perspective.
Given the current shock of a white-collar Industrial Revolution that we seem to stand at the precipice of: what does that mean for nonprofits?
Nonprofits have always arguably been the best at helping the jobless, retraining, and finding aid for those who have found themselves where they didn't expect to be. They are also funded heavily by white-collar charitable dollars.
I've always liked the quote that history doesn't repeat, but it rhymes. If the winners are to be fewer in number, will we return to art, culture, and mercy nonprofits being patrons of the Medicis?
If you have done donor work like I have, you know most nonprofits are already mainly funded by a few up to 70%, and then the 30% is spread among many. That 20-30% cut across the board would add up to a big number, though.
Returning to this summit, the speakers, like a good teacher, didn't leave it there in the uncomfortable. If truly these agentic AI tools let everyone build anything, how do we build tools that continue to make the community grow stronger together without just trying to commoditize community?
People feel alone, and a unique form of narcissism reinforced by overly positive reinforcement from GPTs is becoming quite normal. Still, we are human, and we crave community. The apps don't fill that need.
Spiritualism and looking for something older than these death-loop algorithms are on the rise.
This week just has me thinking a lot about making sure what I'm building is on the right foundations.
Being where I am with implementation, marginally ahead of a curve, should mean using this gift of tokenized human wisdom to keep driving to benefit the most people.
I think it's important to remember that at the beginning of the Facebook days, we thought it was wonderful that we could be in contact with everyone we ever knew.
That wasn't real, and giving away our social network construct, pictures, and personal information wasn't stewarded in our best interest.
I'm still deep in reflection, but just greatly thankful for work trips that can really challenge you mentally and pull you out of your work grind to check your priorities.