How can Opus approach AI wisely and with intent? Some ideas (and an invitation)

Credit: Rachel Rae Photography

Late last year here at Opus, we came to the conclusion that we need to open up an intentional space for co-learning around AI technologies and what they mean for a system change organisation like us.

Many of the folks at Opus have strong personal opinions about AI. Our own relationships with LLMs like ChatGPT range from ‘I use them every day’ to ‘I never use them’, but we haven’t spent enough time on the topic together to be able to manage the risks and opportunities well. We don’t know what our collective range of tolerance is and our knowledge and understanding of these technologies is fragmented. For an organisation that tries to operate by consent rather than consensus, this makes decision-making on the topic of AI and LLMs particularly hard.

Futurist Roy Amara believes that, “We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run.” No doubt we’re already feeling the effects of AI on society – we’re deep and going deeper. But we still think there’s time to consider what it means for organisations like us in the long term, and to design around their influence and use (or non-use) in the work of trying to tread pathways to more livable futures.

Our hope is that after making proper space to open a thousand cans of worms and grapple with their contents together, we’re able to build principles and practices that support regulated, healthy and transparent relationships with any AI or LLM technologies we choose to use.

We’ve never done a ‘learning journey’ like this before, but we reckon we can design and host something meaningful. We also suspect there are loads of ‘fellow traveller’ organisations out there grappling with the same issues. 

We’re looking for up to three other groups or organisations to work with us. If you’re asking similar questions or encountering similar problems in the course of trying to make the world a better place, we’d love to connect and find out if we could work together on this. Please drop me a line by 24 April.