As we near the end of 2024, our mission at AI&F – to bring deep faith values of the world’s major religions into the global debate on AI, and educate faith leaders and tech creators about what is at stake – has never been more important. For a likely mix of better and worse, Generative AI continues to rapidly roll out in every walk of life, now including a burgeoning market for faith-related applications. Meanwhile, policy makers and nonprofit societal guides struggle to keep up. Now it appears the U.S. government is poised to abdicate any role in boundarying AI, even as other governments seek to manage risks while exploiting AI’s capabilities for power and control.
Fortunately, 2024 has also been the year faith leaders are really starting to be heard, like Pope Francis and the Vatican’s initiatives; new pluralist organizations like the UK’s AI, Faith and Civil Society Commission founded with the support of the Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace; and AI ethics initiatives across religious denominations, nonprofits, universities and technology businesses. Our 180-plus experts and two dozen partners are in the midst of all of this, organizing and speaking at key conferences and podcasts, writing and appearing in influential publications, and above all working within and through their own organizations to encourage wise choices around this ubiquitous technology.
AI&F has been a vital and pioneering catalyzer and multiplier of these efforts since 2018. Our singular organizational goal has been to amplify and encourage our experts’ and partners’ knowledgeable voices in both the secular AI ethics debate and within their own faith congregations and organizations. Next month, we’ll celebrate some of our particular accomplishments in 2024. But now we are asking for your help in closing out this year and laying a strong financial foundation for our work in 2025.
Historically, almost all of our work has been accomplished through the volunteered knowledge and energy of our experts, led by a core team of “super volunteers” and (since 2023) supported by the equivalent of a half-time administrative staffer. But to really turn the gears and maximize the influence of our unique global expert community, we need professional paid leadership. Working toward that goal, our Board significantly stepped up our fundraising efforts this year. YTD we have raised $67,000, way up from $28,000 in all of 2023, but still short of our budget by about $40,000. These as-yet-unrealized funds would help us hire a part-time Research Director as a step toward a full time Executive Director. They would also demonstrate our ability to sustain future support for professional staff at this moment when we are pursuing a grant from a generous Washington state foundation that uniquely funds new professional positions for faith and technology nonprofits.
Please help us complete our goal for 2024 and lay a strong foundation for 2025 and this pending grant application by making a generous contribution here before Dec. 31. If you wish, you can choose “recurring payment” to set up periodic monthly or quarterly payments on the donation page or if using a DAF like many of our donors, by contacting our administrator, Penny Yuen at pyuen@aiandfaith.org.
Watch for our end of year report next month to see what your past support has helped accomplish. Your financial gift now will greatly magnify the vital work of our own experts and partners in 2025. Thank you so much for your support.
