AI Can Help Us Do More. But Should We Be Doing More?

Mission-driven organisations, like other organisations, can use technology such as AI to free up staff time. It can take on routine, repetitive tasks and reduce the time and effort staff spend on them.

What happens to that saved time, however, is a strategic choice, one that could make all the difference when circumstances change: an unexpected crisis, a sudden increase in demand, or a new challenge.

The most obvious thing to do with that time is to use it to complete more tasks and increase output. And in an environment where NGOs are constantly being asked to do more, that response is totally understandable.

But what if some of that time was deliberately preserved?

What if, instead of immediately filling every hour that AI frees up, staff were given room to reflect on what worked and what didn't, learn from previous projects, identify areas for improvement, adapt existing approaches, experiment with new ones, or develop new solutions? These may not deliver immediate outputs, but they can lead to meaningful improvements and better equip the team to deal with future challenges.

This suggests that one needs to look beyond efficiency when considering the value of AI. The goal need not always be to turn every saved hour into an opportunity to do more work. Sometimes, the most valuable outcome may simply be better preparedness for what lies ahead.