Human-Centered Leadership in the Generative AI Era

As someone who has had the pleasure of speaking at conferences and panels about how nonprofits and higher education institutions can approach the generative AI revolution, I have learned which messages and sentiments resonate the most with the audiences. You can use these insights to lead and empower your teams to embrace the constant change around us.

“Focus on the specific organizational challenges that AI can help solve.” Avoid implementing AI just for the sake of it. Surface level use of AI limits its potential to create meaningful change. Instead, start by identifying your organization’s key challenges and determine how AI can address them. For example, At Generation , we identified three critical problems that AI could solve to help us achieve our mission. Only after pinpointing these issues did we select the appropriate AI tools to achieve our goals. 

“Embrace the power of your human skills.” Remind people that "you already have the ultimate technology." This sentiment has even brought a smile or two! Our humanity is to be celebrated, and it is essential that we take the lead in the AI revolution. There are two main advantages: first, recognizing that AI is not smarter or more powerful than we are, and second, using AI to create time and space for what makes us uniquely human—creativity, problem solving, innovation, adaptability, emotional intelligence, and more. This is a true win-win.

“Safety first.” The risks of AI are well-known. Use available resources and emerging policies to guide you. Access frameworks like the one from EDSAFE AI Alliance and other reputable training organizations to stay informed on compliance, IP, safety and security measures. In every AI training, reinforce the ethical framework your organization follows.

“Lean into the discomfort of implementing an AI strategy.” Audience participants consistently convey a sense of unease with AI implementation. The pace of change in their organization is either too fast or too slow. I haven’t heard one person say, “our implementation of AI has been just right.” With technology constantly evolving, a clear multi-year plan with a fixed timeline is challenging. Communicate early and often about your organization-specific strategy including the problems AI is solving, what's working, where there is untapped potential, and how you are adjusting along the way.

The AI revolution requires change management. Ensure key messages about the positive components of AI and the importance of human skills are reinforced in a variety of formats. By addressing challenges head-on and leading with a human-centric approach, we can navigate this transformative period successfully and harness AI’s power for positive impact.