As an association leader, you are facing the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in your organization. It’s not a question of “if” anymore; it’s a question of “when” and “how well” your association aligns this technology with your strategic direction.

Some associations are advanced with their efforts, but it’s not all about writing great prompts or mastering the mechanics of the technology. It’s primarily about furthering your mission, and that takes leadership.

In its 2025 AI Business Predictions, Price Waterhouse Coopers writes, “Your company’s AI success will be as much about vision as adoption. Your AI strategy will put you ahead – or make it harder to ever catch up.”

Strong leadership is essential for overcoming staff resistance to a new technology, keeping your data safe and developing new processes for managing AI-enhanced work products. And you don’t have much time to spare to write policies and train your staff.

AI is happening now, and there’s a good chance your staff is already experimenting with it — whether or not your association has officially approved it. Or, they’re deeply uneasy about what it means for their future. Middle ground seems to be in short supply between the two.

And both reactions are understandable. AI tools are easy to access and tempting to use for writing reports, summarizing meetings or generating content — often without much thought about the risks involved. At the same time, constant headlines about AI replacing jobs can leave staff members feeling anxious and uncertain.

But here’s the truth: most associations provide value by doing more with less. Many run lean operations with a minimum of staff members. AI is useful because it has the potential to genuinely ease the load on already overstretched teams without replacing them.

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

Why Should Associations Care About AI?

It’s safe to say that AI is here to stay. Associations and the industries they serve (your members) are among those who stand to benefit from its varied abilities:

• Creating content
• Manipulating images
• Summarizing text
• Taking notes
• Building dashboards
• Applying predictive analytics to large data sets
• Automating workflows using AI triggers

These capabilities can help increase your team’s productivity, giving team members the space they need to perform higher-level functions, such as strategic thinking and market analysis. And research into AI has indicated that the earlier you start to incorporate AI into your association, the better your results will be in the long run.

Major research firms, such as Price Waterhouse Coopers, IBM and Box, are sharing their findings directly through reports, as well as through magazines that cover innovations, such as The Algorithm. The following insights will give you some hints about the impact AI is having on industries around the globe:

• PwC’s report, Sizing the Prize, estimates that AI could increase global gross domestic product (GDP) by $15.7 trillion by 2030. That’s a 14% boost. The gain will be driven by increased productivity from automating processes and augmenting workforces.
• PwC’s 2025 Global AI Jobs Barometer shows AI is making workers more productive and valuable. Workers with AI skills command a 56% wage premium.
• Tech Brew reported that “Box found that 47% of more than 1,300 IT leaders described themselves as in the ‘early stage’ of AI maturity, and 39% as in the ‘developing’ phase. Those that are further along are seeing much bigger productivity gains, according to Box.”

[Related: Using Advanced Analytics to Make Data-Driven Decisions]

Are You Willing to Run AI Risks?

AI can deliver increasing ROI, especially for those companies that are early adopters. But adopting AI isn’t as easy as simply downloading ChatGPT or Claude and writing a prompt. A healthy ROI is driven by matching AI capabilities to your association’s mission and strategy, and it is not without risks.

For example, have you thought about what could happen if you allow your team members to use AI without any guidelines or training?

Consider this possibility: your membership team would like to analyze your member roster to determine if certain non-renewing members are ever likely to renew. The team has identified an AI product that will do the job, but because it’s available at no cost, it lacks basic security features.

The team is not aware that the data will become public information as soon as they send it to the AI tool. They use a data query to gather the data from your AMS, and it contains personally identifiable information about your members. They may end up with an analysis of membership trends, but they have also exposed your members’ personal information.

It’s a membership director’s worst nightmare. With a couple of clicks, private membership information is now in the public domain. What will you tell your members? Should you report a membership data breach? Will your members ever notice if you don’t mention it? What’s the worst thing that could happen?

Whatever the worst is, remember Murphy’s Law. If something can go wrong, it will — at the worst possible moment. Strong leadership can help ensure that staff members understand and follow best practices associated with AI and avoid security breaches.

[Related: The Hidden Costs of Poor Technology Integrations]

Leadership is Essential in a Culture Change Like AI Adoption

AI implementation in any association generates major shifts in how things are done. It can affect workflows in almost every department. Because of that, it’s a major culture shift. It represents new, and more efficient ways of getting work done, but it means letting go of old, comfortable habits.

Some staff members will immediately see the benefits of AI. They will embrace it and find exciting new ways to use it, but others may need some encouragement as you innovate. And everyone can use AI training about how to use it, when to use it, when not to use it, how to verify the information it generates, and what oversight or reporting is needed on any AI project.

Because AI will affect everyone on staff, you also need to understand how strong leadership can help them with the “people” parts of implementing AI.

Here are suggestions for process issues you will need to solve:

1. Protect your association’s data integrity and security by teaching how text is stored and used in both free and paid versions.
2. Encourage staff members to explore safe, generative AI, such as ChatGPT or Claude, and use it often.
3. Insist that staff members review and sign off on published content created with the help of AI.
4. Properly attribute the use of AI in published materials.
5. Check source material so that it can be cited properly.
6. Review content to ensure it says what you intended and flows logically.
7. Ensure the AI draft uses actual information, rather than the “hallucinations” that generative AI can sometimes create. Be aware, AI has cited articles and books that don’t actually exist.
8. Teach staff members to be creative and use AI to complete boring or repetitive tasks, freeing the humans for higher-level, strategic thinking.
9. Inspire staff members to combine their creativity with AI to write unique content.

Culture change is never easy, and your leaders may need to reinforce the “how” and “why” of using AI technology. As AI makes work lives more productive, however, you may find that not everyone is excited about using it. With that in mind, it may take up to a year to overcome objections and get everyone on board. Be realistic with your adoption time frame.

[Related: Creating an Effective Technology Strategy for Your Association]

It’s Time to Get Started — Contact Dennison & Associates for Help With AI

Now is the time to begin. Remember, research shows that companies (and associations) that are early adopters will benefit more than those who are late to the party.

At Dennison & Associates, we specialize in practical, hands-on discussions of your needs. And we work to develop structured programs that create accountability and help you move forward with implementation. We focus on both the technological and human aspects of change.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your organization thrive through the effective adoption of AI.

Let’s get your team on the road to greater productivity together!

Featured image via Pexels