Do you remember the communication programs called VerticalResponse, Lyris, ExactTarget and Campaign Monitor?

These were some of the first online tools that associations could use to build, launch and track email campaigns. The services were intuitive, relatively inexpensive and got results. Everyone was excited to use this amazing new technology.

But as associations rolled out these new email platforms, it wasn’t unusual for different departments to use different tools. Events might use one platform, membership another and education a third, and over time, the lack of coordination created significant problems.

Members received overlapping or duplicative messages from different departments, sometimes within the same week. Contact records became inconsistent as each system maintained its own list. Staff struggled to track engagement because open and click data lived in separate places. Most importantly, the association lacked a unified communication strategy which made it difficult to prioritize messages, coordinate campaigns or present a clear voice to members.

The problems were largely solved with the adoption of modern marketing systems, which contained consolidated communication modules. Many associations were finally able to combine email campaigns and their data in one place, making analysis much easier. 

Today, we may be witnessing a similar dynamic with artificial intelligence (AI). Across the association world, AI adoption has already begun, and it’s often informal. Marketing teams are experimenting with generative AI, education teams are exploring AI learning tools, IT is evaluating security implications and individual staff members are using AI independently.  And association execs are quietly asking: “Who actually owns AI in our association?”

It’s a critical question. As leaders, we tend to develop policies or launch pilot projects to test our capabilities, but in this case, neither policies nor projects actually defines AI ownership. And when associations fail to define AI as an organization-wide capability, AI adoption can quickly become fragmented, risky and difficult to scale. Individual departments experiment with tools independently, which can produce pockets of innovation but rarely produces lasting organizational value. The definition of AI ownership is part of the organization’s overall strategic posture.

[Related: 5 Practical AI Use Cases Your Association Can Implement This Year]

The Accidental AI Problem

So how do associations adopt technology like AI? In practice, adoption rarely starts as a strategic initiative. Instead, it’s more accidental than intentional.

Staff members hear about the technology and start to experiment with it. If it’s easy to use and inexpensive enough, staff members and departments use it to solve a specific problem or to drive a departmental initiative. These early users participate in “unintentional adoption.” They experiment individually, satisfy their curiosity about enhanced productivity and examine vendor-driven features within their own work groups. They have no incentive to share their results with other departments, who also may be experimenting with similar products. 

The result is what you might expect:

• Individuals and departments use many different tools.
• Data usage is inconsistent across the organization.
• Expectations vary from department to department.
• No one is accountable for mistakes, problems or security issues.

During unintentional adoption, AI is everywhere, and yet, it is nowhere. Everyone is using it, but no one is responsible for it. The resulting problems of fragmentation and chaos, however, are not caused by technology. Instead, they are caused by the unclear ownership of AI.

[Related: How Can We Tell If Our Association is Ready for AI?]

Why Decentralized AI Creates Organizational Risk

When ChatGPT first launched, we just didn’t realize that if we uploaded sensitive data about our organizations, we might expose their details to the world, but that was the reality. One of our staff members could have easily caused a security breach without realizing it.

Likewise, decentralizing governance of AI creates organizational risk. When AI ownership is invested in all individuals or departments, staff members have no incentive or authority to apply governance consistently across other departments.

You can imagine what would happen if education tried to dictate what type of AI that membership should use. Equal departments ordinarily don’t have the ability to dictate to each other, which means that no one has the responsibility to manage the AI function.

In addition, AI decentralization often creates fragmentation which leads to serious risks for the association. Those risks include:

• Inconsistent data governance
• Security exposure
• Duplicated investments
• Shadow AI usage
• Conflicting member experiences
• Reputational risk

Associations rely on trust, credibility and stewardship to achieve their missions, and they can’t afford to risk their reputations. Fragmentation creates risk, but so does centralizing the responsibility for AI in one department.

[Related: 5 Guardrails to Maintain Ethical AI for Associations]

Why AI Does Not Belong to IT

When AI was introduced, many associations decided that the IT department should own the new technology. But if IT is responsible for AI, are they ready to lead innovation in marketing? Should IT manage new AI learning tools in education? And what about leading innovation teams that would experiment for the entire organization. Is IT equipped to handle that initiative? 

Although the IT department initially might seem to be the best home for AI, artificial intelligence is larger than any one operational area. Instead, AI is a strategic capability, not simply a departmental tool. It affects the entire organization and impacts:

• Operations
• Member engagement
• Education delivery
• Data governance
• Strategy
• Workforce design

AI is not a technology initiative, it is an enterprise capability. And as such, best practices are emerging around AI governance that include the creation of AI steering committees to oversee the use of AI across the organization.

[Related: AI Without Leadership Is Just Hype – Why Vision Matters More Than Tech]

What is an AI Steering Committee?

Associations are establishing AI steering committees, governance councils and cross-functional AI leadership groups to manage the strategic use of AI in their organizations. These groups operate under the charge to align experimentation with strategy, evaluate and manage risk, establish policies and guardrails, create shared learning, prioritize initiatives, define standards and support leadership oversight.

As they create these committees, associations will rely on staff expertise for initial staffing, and participants should represent diverse aspects of the association. They might include:

• Executive leadership sponsor
• CIO/IT leadership
• Marketing or member experience
• Education/learning leadership
• Operations
• Legal or compliance (when applicable)

By establishing an AI steering committee, association leaders can make decisions that are informed by all departments. Challenges can be addressed, and economies adopted. The association can speak with one voice to all its constituencies and ensure that everyone is working toward the same goals.

[Related: How AI Is Redefining Knowledge Work (Not Replacing It)]

Creating the Path Forward

Artificial intelligence will reshape how associations operate in ways that go far beyond adopting a new software tool. New capabilities will influence everything from how membership teams understand engagement, to how education departments design learning experiences, to how finance and operations manage workflows and risk.

And because AI touches nearly every core function of the organization, and decisions in one area can affect data, processes and outcomes in another, AI cannot reside solely within IT, marketing or any single department. To use it effectively and responsibly, associations must treat AI as an organization-wide capability that requires coordination, shared guidelines and leadership across the enterprise.

[Related: Turn Your 2026 Technology Planning Into a To-Do List]

Get Professional AI Guidance

Dennison & Associates is here to help you navigate your AI use in all capacities. Our AI Readiness Workshop is designed to help you answer questions about your association. You’ll come away with a scorecard, a gap analysis and defensible next steps that leadership can confidently share with the board. 

We’re also available to discuss your situation and lend a hand with advice or training. Feel free to contact us to request a conversation or consultation.