Episode 8: Keeping pace with AI
This short episode offers resources to help intereach track significant AI developments and anticipate changes, despite the overwhelming volume of industry content online.
What NOT to do...
To keep up with AI there are some important things to avoid and its worth dwelling on them up front:
- Wait for the "perfect" resource or newsletter focused on NFP Social Services in Australia (it doesn't exist)
- Create an "AI Committee" that regularly meets with no clear mandate
- As an executive or internal owner try to read everything about AI, there is just too much content
- Only learn about AI from vendors
- Assign AI to the technology function; like cybersecurity, it is a responsibility across the whole organization (see AI Prompt)
At intereach, where resources are limited and operations are the priority, it's essential to selectively focus on critical "keeping up" activities.
Essential "Keeping Up" Activities
- The recommended minimum viable approach for intereach is as follows:
- Subscribe to 3 newsletters (see next section)
- Join an industry peer network with a focus on AI (something intereach may already be doing as part of the PwC association)
- Run 2-3 small AI experiments each year (as per advice in previous blog additions)
To further develop this position, the following additional strategies may be taken into consideration:
- Assign internal accountability for building internal AI expertise
- Structure efforts to more actively target existing vendors for AI learnings (something that may already underway at intereach - see AI Prompt)
- Pursue partnerships with academic and research institutions, as many have longer-standing AI experience than the private sector
- Attend relevant conferences (consult PwC Australia Healthcare for guidance).
- Conduct sector scans of social services, focusing on advanced AI usage abroad (e.g., UK), consider Aus/UK Chamber of Commerce membership.
Intereach has laid the groundwork for building a sustainable AI leadership capability, but the essential next steps will require substantial and visible investment from the organisation.
Recommended Online Resources
Practical AI Adoption in Social Services
There is no obvious executive newsletter covering AI adoption in social services in Australia, the following 2 options are worth pursuing:
- Australian Alliance for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare (AAAiH) Newsletter - aihealthalliance.org
- LinkedIn follows of key Australian social service policy leaders e.g. Dr. Cassandra Goldie AO - CEO, Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS)
AI Governance in Australia
- IAPP AI Governance Dashboard Newsletter - iapp.org
- Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) AI Newsletter - digital.gov.au/policy/ai
Accessible AI Advancement Summaries (with Global Perspective)
- The Batch (by Andrew Ng/DeepLearning.AI) - deeplearning.ai/the-batch
- Emerj AI ROI Newsletter - emerj.com
The Batch is highly recommended as Andrew Ng is considered one of the leaders in generative AI development in the modern era (see AI Prompt).
AI Prompts for further research...
"Why is technology thought leadership ineffective when confined to IT teams rather than distributed across organizational leadership?"
"What partnership practices maximize knowledge transfer from AI vendors while building internal organizational capability?"
"What role has Andrew Ng played in the evolution of generative AI compared to other leading researchers in the field?"