Introduction
Nonprofit organizations are constantly exploring ways to streamline operations and amplify their impact. Artificial intelligence (AI), especially generative AI, can often be a valuable and low or no-cost tool to help reach these goals. However, when deploying AI, it is important to consider how to use AI responsibly. The information in this help center article will guide your nonprofit to responsibly integrate AI into its workstreams.
What is generative AI?
Most AI tools meant for everyday use incorporate generative AI. Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that identifies patterns from large amounts of data and uses those patterns to create new content like text, images, or other media.
Generative AI offers your nonprofit the power to not only save time but also enhance the impact of your work. These tools act as digital collaborators, empowering staff to tackle complex tasks more efficiently, make data-driven decisions, and unlock new levels of creativity. Imagine drafting compelling grant proposals with research-backed insights, generating personalized outreach campaigns that resonate deeply with donors, or analyzing program data to pinpoint areas for improvement – all with the assistance of AI.
Responsible AI practices and strategies
While generative AI offers great potential for improving the efficiency and impact of your nonprofit organization, it's important to establish responsible practices when using generative AI tools. Practices that prioritize fairness, accuracy, the protection of privacy, and an overall ethical approach will help your nonprofit navigate generative AI responsibly.
Mitigate Bias
As with all data-driven systems, it's important to be mindful of potential biases that can influence the outputs from AI tools. Biases might come from the training data used to develop the AI or from the prompts and information that users provide. The following strategies can help your organization leverage generative AI responsibly and ensure your outputs are fair and representative.
- Monitor your prompts. Generative AI outputs may reflect biases present in the information they access. Consider the type of data you provide in a prompt and how it might influence the results. Provide sufficient context in your prompts to help the AI generate a more balanced response.
- Review and refine. Review all AI outputs carefully and check for potential biases. Look for stereotypes or unfair representations, and don't hesitate to refine your prompts or try different tools to achieve a more equitable and accurate outcome.
- Seek diversity in outputs. Many AI tools provide multiple versions of a response based on user prompts. When possible, compare versions and choose outputs that represent a wider range of perspectives.
Ensure accuracy
- Provide clear and specific prompts. When writing prompts for generative AI tools, use natural language in a clear and concise way, and provide plenty of context for your request. Avoid vague or open-ended prompts that could lead to inaccurate results.
- Fact-check outputs. Verify the accuracy of any information generated by AI. Use reliable sources from your own research to confirm the information.
- Be aware of limitations. Understand that generative AI is still under development and has limitations. For tasks requiring high degrees of accuracy, consider using resources other than AI to support the completion of your task.
Respect privacy
Whether you’re using generative AI to assist with basic tasks or create new content, consider how this usage may affect the privacy and security of the people in your nonprofit and those you serve. The following strategies can help ensure that your organization is mitigating privacy and security concerns when using AI.
- Review privacy policies. Read through AI tool documentation to learn about privacy safeguards the developers have established, including terms and conditions. Research to stay up-to-date on privacy regulations and best practices for AI usage.
- Limit your data input. Remove confidential, private, or personally identifiable information, and sensitive organization or beneficiary data when interacting with AI tools.
Disclose AI usage
Disclosing your use of generative AI fosters trust and promotes ethical practices in your nonprofit organization. The following strategies can help ensure transparency when using generative AI for your work.
- Be open about usage. Make it clear whenever your nonprofit uses AI. Disclose to your users that you are using AI tools and why.
- Provide details. Explain what type of tool you used and your intention for its use. Offer any other information that could help anyone with access to your work evaluate potential risks.
- Avoid plagiarism. Maintain human involvement when using AI outputs for your nonprofit, including reviewing and revising outputs without directly copying and pasting them.
Resources for Responsible AI usage
Organizations of all kinds are navigating how to leverage generative AI for their work. Guidelines for responsible AI usage can help any organization determine AI policies and best practices. The following resources from a range of organizations provide additional guidance to consider for understanding how to use AI responsibly.
- How to Create a Generative AI Use Policy. A how-to guide from TechSoup for creating an AI use policy for your nonprofit.
- Artificial Intelligence Framework for an Equitable World and an associated Generative AI Use Policy Template from NTEN. A guide for developing and using AI tools in an equitable and responsible way and a template for nonprofits to use in beginning to build their own organizational AI policies.
- Google's Responsible AI practices and Principles. Recommended practices and principles for the design and development of AI systems.
- Applying AI to make a difference in the lives of those who need it most. Content from Google’s AI for Social Good group who partner with organizations to build and deliver AI tools and technologies that tackle social challenges.