"Try to think about solving COVID-19 with data that was two months old, let alone almost two years old. You can't do it."
Nick Suplina
Key Takeaways
Data as Critical Infrastructure: Gun violence is a public health epidemic requiring timely, reliable data, yet CDC statistics are nearly two years old. It is now the leading cause of death for US children and teens, claiming 125 lives daily.
AI as a Solution Multiplier: Artificial intelligence can enhance both quantitative data collection and qualitative storytelling on gun violence, enabling nonprofits to scale impact while balancing innovation with careful attention to potential negative effects.
Product Development Success: Tools like Every Shot, a near real-time AI database analyzing tens of thousands of news articles, and Ask Everytown, a chatbot providing accurate information to stakeholders, demonstrate effective use of AI to address gun violence.
Implementation Lessons: Begin with tasks that are unfeasible or overly time-consuming manually, prioritize organizational mission and accuracy, and bring AI expertise in-house to maintain pace with rapid technological change.
Action Items
For Nonprofit Organizations: Identify critical data gaps where real-time information can improve mission impact, assess which tasks require AI due to complexity or time demands, and build scalable cloud infrastructure instead of relying on private contractors.
For Technology Implementation: Hire in-house AI talent to align technology with organizational goals, implement safeguards for sensitive topics, and involve subject matter experts from the start to ensure solutions address the right problems.
For Data and Content Strategy: Develop curated, accurate knowledge bases to power AI applications, maintain transparency by linking outputs to source materials, and leverage AI to enhance both quantitative analysis and qualitative storytelling.
