AI in Associations: Don’t Skip the Human Questions

As associations, we’ve spent decades building trusted ecosystems – communities where knowledge is curated, relationships are nurtured, and members feel seen. AI doesn’t change that mission. But it does challenge how we deliver it.

Mark Athitakis captured this tension well in his recent Associations Now article, especially with one key takeaway: “Insert a human being in the AI process at any point where it’s important to ask, ‘What’s missing?’”

That question is the crux of leadership in the AI era.

Throughout my career, I’ve led national and regional associations through transformation – mergers, rebranding, strategy resets, and crisis pivots. At Southeast Life Sciences, we launched programs like Medtech Women@SEMDA and PitchRounds not just to create more activity, but to create more connection – between innovators and investors, mentors and mentees, ideas and action.

Would AI have helped? Absolutely. Grant drafting, program outlines, outreach campaigns – AI can accelerate the logistics. But it never would have replaced the judgment of a reviewer, the lived experience of a founder, or the nuanced advice of a mentor. That’s where the value lives.

So here’s where I land: AI is not a threat to associations. But ignoring it – or over-relying on it – is. The opportunity is in the middle: using AI to scale the work, not substitute the people. That means training staff, setting boundaries, and getting clear about where human insight is non-negotiable.

You don’t need to be a coder to lead well in an AI-enabled world. You need curiosity, courage, and a commitment to making the humans around you better.

Let’s use AI to amplify our mission, not outsource it.