As we progress from Gen AI to Agentic AI, our conversations with social impact leaders and funders have evolved. A year ago, discussions typically went: “Look at this cool AI thing… this will change everything someday.” Now, these conversations move directly to practical applications–changing workflows, reimagining processes, and implementing real use cases for philanthropy. Let’s follow this evolving conversation.
Hey, look at the cool new thing(s)!
- Two weeks ago ChatGPT launched its new image generator. You’ve no doubt seen it in action. Here we show you how to create visuals based on grant narratives. And here are some other prompts you can use.
- Here (video) is a 60 second demonstration of Agentic AI. In this case we build an entire web application from one prompt, for 50 cents.
- Last week Google released a preview of a new Agent to Agent protocol. Their 90 second video does a good job of showing how agents can/will asynchronously support our workflow.
How things are changing right now:
Using Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini as an add-on is one thing, but rethinking processes and functions that involve people and teams is another. The discussions now are venturing into aiding processes that required significant human effort, or into possibilities that didn’t exist before.
Based on conversations with funders, these are proof-of-concept agents our team developed and launched last week.
- Agentic AI that scans the past two years of Thai newspapers, identifies prospects and gift opportunities, and creates comprehensive profiles in English.
- Reasoning engines that transform grant-making processes and support an asynchronous information dialogue over weeks–reducing hours of back-and-forth while creating more equitable access.
- Tools that help organizations arrive at and build visual Theory of Change models aligned with funder expectations and market standards.
Where we’re going: AI as the platform for Thinking and Learning.
After going through some adoption and learning curve, you quickly reach a point where your constraint is not the thing (AI), but how you think and apply the thing. Writ large, these technologies will provide more equitable access to information and tools. At that point we’re left with three things. Our ability to think clearly, learn, and engage others.
Thinking: Reductive clarity–the ability to distill complex problems to their essence–is becoming a superpower in the AI era. When you can precisely define a problem, process, or workflow, AI can automate, solve, or accelerate it. We encourage teams to prompt together, collaboratively working through problems with AI. This practice builds both technical skills and the more valuable muscle of clear, precise thinking.
Learning: In his seminal work “The Fifth Discipline,” MIT professor Peter Senge defined learning organizations as places “where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning how to learn together.” His research showed these organizations consistently outperformed competitors.
If I could create a fictional world where people are continually learning how to learn together, I’m not sure I could imagine a better sandbox environment than the emerging AI world.
The accelerating force of AI will require that every team figure out how to continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire… where people are continually learning how to learn together.
Forget about AI for a second–what does it mean to harness this lightning-in-a-bottle moment where we all must become learning organizations?
Human engagement: Extrapolate from trend lines and you increasingly move toward scenarios where there is a renewed premium on and opportunity for one-on-one human engagement.
- You won’t spend hours playing with grant narratives or scoring grants. We’ll be engaged in more discussions directly.
- We won’t lack for prospect names, it will be about how to engage with the prospects.
- Every funding conversation will be supported by rendered prose, engaging visuals, and clear numbers–although it’s always been the case, your ability to engage, navigate conversations, ask and close will be the ultimate value add to the funding process.
