How Can Associations Manage Gen AI Risks?

In the high-octane world of Silicon Valley, the motto “move fast and break things” has often fueled technological progress. However, as generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) begins to revolutionize industries, this approach seems less like a bold strategy and more like a reckless gamble. For professional associations, which serve as the stewards of their members’ interests, the rise of Gen AI poses unique challenges and opportunities. Addressing these dynamics thoughtfully is essential to protect, guide, and empower your members in navigating this transformative technology.

Stakeholder Concerns on Gen AI Risks

A recent survey by the Artificial Intelligence Policy Institute (AIPI) underscores the public’s unease about AI’s rapid evolution. Specifically, 72% of voters support slowing AI development, while only 8% want it accelerated. These concerns grow sharper when focusing on Gen AI—tools like ChatGPT, DALL·E, and MidJourney—that directly influence professional workflows and decision-making. For associations, this presents a dual challenge: how to ensure your staff, volunteers, and members feel supported in adapting to Gen AI and how to address the broader ethical and regulatory implications of these tools.

In my work helping associations adapt Gen AI to their needs, I’ve observed that the skepticism of employees, volunteers, and members mirrors broader public concerns. Stakeholders of professional associations worry about how Gen AI will redefine their roles, reshape ethical norms, and impact job security. These concerns aren’t abstract. Gen AI isn’t a distant future; it’s a current reality already influencing member relations, content creation, diagnostics, and strategic planning.

Consider Gen AI as a new technology that suddenly becomes indispensable yet opaque. Your stakeholders want transparency: What exactly can these tools do? How reliable are they? What risks do they bring? Without clear answers, many will view Gen AI as a potential disruptor, threatening established norms rather than enhancing them.

The Gen AI Risk Gap: From Fear to Opportunity

The transformative power of Gen AI comes with inherent risks that concern your members, staff, and volunteers. The AIPI poll reveals that 86% of respondents believe AI could inadvertently cause a catastrophic event, and 76% think it could eventually pose a threat to humanity. While these fears often center on medium-term Gen AI development, current risks—such as generating biased or inaccurate information, enabling unethical behavior, or replacing human judgment—are far more immediate and tangible.

For example, in healthcare, Gen AI tools are already assisting in medical diagnostics. What happens if an algorithmic misstep results in a misdiagnosis? In law, Gen AI can draft contracts in seconds, but who ensures compliance with nuanced legal standards? These concerns are top-of-mind for your members because they directly affect their professional reputations and livelihoods.

Gen AI’s potential for misuse is a particular worry. From generating misleading content to aiding in cyberattacks, the unregulated deployment of Gen AI tools could erode trust in professions that rely on credibility and integrity. For associations, the task is not just to promote responsible use but also to advocate for standards that safeguard both practitioners and the public.

A Framework for Associations to Lead Members on Gen AI

Professional associations occupy a unique position to guide their members through the complexities of Gen AI. Your role is not just to inform but to empower, ensuring that members can confidently adopt this technology while upholding the highest professional standards.

1. Educate Members on Gen AI Capabilities and Risks: Offer tailored resources, including workshops, webinars, and case studies, to help members understand how Gen AI tools apply to their fields. Emphasize both the opportunities (e.g., streamlining workflows, improving efficiency) and the limitations (e.g., potential biases or inaccuracies).
2. Establish Ethical Guidelines for Gen AI Use: Develop industry-specific frameworks that outline acceptable use cases, ensuring compliance with ethical principles. For instance, in legal fields, guidelines could specify how to verify the accuracy of Gen AI-generated documents.
3. Advocate for Regulation and Accountability: Collaborate with policymakers and industry leaders to create robust standards for Gen AI development and implementation. Ensure these regulations align with your members’ professional needs and values.
4. Foster Open Dialogue Among Members: Create platforms where members can share their experiences, challenges, and best practices for using Gen AI. Peer-to-peer learning is a powerful way to build confidence and community around new technologies.
5. Showcase Responsible Innovation: Highlight success stories where Gen AI has been used effectively and ethically within your profession. For example, spotlight members who have leveraged Gen AI to enhance client outcomes, improve public services, or drive innovation in research.
6. Monitor Emerging Trends: Stay ahead of the curve by tracking the rapid evolution of Gen AI. Provide members with regular updates on new tools, potential risks, and evolving best practices.

Leading by Example: Gen AI Adoption Among Association Staff and Volunteers

Professional associations have a critical opportunity to set an example by integrating Gen AI into their own operations. Successfully adopting this technology internally among staff and volunteers not only enhances organizational efficiency but also demonstrates leadership and credibility when guiding members through Gen AI challenges. Here’s how associations can lead from within:

1. Equip Staff and Volunteers with Gen AI Training and Tools: To effectively use Gen AI, association staff and volunteers must first understand its capabilities and limitations. Associations should provide robust training programs tailored to various roles within the organization. These might include tutorials on using Gen AI for automating administrative tasks, creating member resources, or improving event planning processes. Providing access to cutting-edge tools and encouraging experimentation in a low-risk environment fosters both competence and confidence.
2. Integrate Gen AI into Operational Workflows: Gen AI can transform how associations manage internal workflows, from streamlining member communication to automating repetitive tasks like data entry or content drafting. For instance, AI tools can draft newsletters, respond to FAQs, or even analyze member feedback to provide actionable insights. By weaving Gen AI into day-to-day operations, associations can free up staff and volunteers to focus on strategic initiatives that require a human touch.
3. Develop Internal AI Ethics and Governance Policies: Associations should establish clear internal policies governing the ethical use of Gen AI by staff and volunteers. These guidelines should address issues such as data privacy, intellectual property, and transparency in AI-generated content. By modeling ethical Gen AI practices internally, associations can reinforce their credibility when advocating for similar standards among members.
4. Foster a Culture of Innovation and Collaboration: Associations should encourage a culture where staff and volunteers feel empowered to explore Gen AI solutions collaboratively. Regular brainstorming sessions, hackathons, or “innovation days” focused on leveraging AI can spark creativity and uncover new ways to enhance efficiency or member engagement. A collaborative approach ensures diverse perspectives and better alignment with the association’s mission.
5. Evaluate and Optimize Gen AI Implementation: Just as associations monitor industry trends for their members, they must also evaluate the impact of Gen AI on their own operations. Regular audits and feedback loops can help identify what’s working, where challenges lie, and how tools can be improved. Metrics such as time saved, cost reductions, and staff satisfaction should be tracked to assess ROI and refine usage.
6. Share Internal Success Stories with Members: By sharing examples of how staff and volunteers are effectively using Gen AI, associations can inspire confidence in members about the technology’s practical benefits. Highlighting real-world successes, such as improving event attendance through personalized AI-driven outreach or speeding up membership renewals with automated systems, can serve as a proof-of-concept for members considering similar initiatives.

A Cautious Yet Ambitious Approach on Gen AI Risks

The rise of Gen AI demands that professional associations balance innovation with responsibility. While “move fast and break things” may have worked for social media platforms, it is ill-suited to Gen AI’s profound implications for professional practice. Associations must lead the way by fostering an environment where members feel supported, informed, and equipped to embrace Gen AI thoughtfully.

Your members rely on you to be their voice in this technological transformation. By advocating for responsible Gen AI adoption, ensuring rigorous ethical standards, and promoting transparency, you can help them harness the potential of Gen AI without compromising their professional values. The path forward requires caution, collaboration, and a commitment to aligning technology with human values. Together, we can ensure that Gen AI enhances, rather than disrupts, the professions it touches. The trust and well-being of your members—and the future of your association—depend on it.

Key Take-Away

Gen AI Risks demand a cautious yet ambitious approach. Associations must balance innovation with responsibility, guiding members to embrace this transformative technology while addressing ethical, regulatory, and professional challenges. Share on X

Image credit: Kampus Production/pexels

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Dr. Gleb Tsipursky was named “Office Whisperer” by The New York Times for helping leaders overcome frustrations with hybrid work and Generative AI. He serves as the CEO of the future-of-work consultancy Disaster Avoidance Experts. Dr. Gleb wrote seven best-selling books, and his two most recent ones are Returning to the Office and Leading Hybrid and Remote Teams and ChatGPT for Thought Leaders and Content Creators: Unlocking the Potential of Generative AI for Innovative and Effective Content Creation. His cutting-edge thought leadership was featured in over 650 articles and 550 interviews in Harvard Business Review, Inc. Magazine, USA Today, CBS News, Fox News, Time, Business Insider, Fortune, The New York Times, and elsewhere. His writing was translated into Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Polish, Korean, French, Vietnamese, German, and other languages. His expertise comes from over 20 years of consulting, coaching, and speaking and training for Fortune 500 companies from Aflac to Xerox. It also comes from over 15 years in academia as a behavioral scientist, with 8 years as a lecturer at UNC-Chapel Hill and 7 years as a professor at Ohio State. A proud Ukrainian American, Dr. Gleb lives in Columbus, Ohio.