--- title: "Is Your Association Ready to Support Artificial Intelligence?" id: "9406" type: "post" slug: "is-your-association-ready-to-support-artificial-intelligence" published_at: "2018-12-12T00:00:00+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-15T02:51:16+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/12/12/is-your-association-ready-to-support-artificial-intelligence/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/12/12/is-your-association-ready-to-support-artificial-intelligence.md" excerpt: "Just as Netflix recommends shows to watch or an online retailer suggests products to buy, machine learning and predictive analytics (opens in a new tab) can help associations to automate processes and drive better and faster member support. But none..." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "adoption" - "ASAEcenter" - "CRM" - "Data Management" - "IT Strategy & Management" - "member support" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Is Your Association Ready to Support Artificial Intelligence? Just as Netflix recommends shows to watch or an online retailer suggests products to buy, machine learning and [predictive analytics (opens in a new tab)](https://www.asaecenter.org/resources/articles/an_magazine/2018/january-february/anticipatory-intelligence-predicting-what-your-members-need) can help associations to automate processes and drive better and faster member support. But none of these artificial intelligence (AI) applications would be possible without one key ingredient: data—and lots of it. That’s good news for associations, which typically sit on a tremendous amount of member data. Drawing on that huge pile of data, AI tools can analyze past and present behavior to predict whether a member is likely to renew or come to an event, for instance. Put another way, AI is often thought of as a tool to help connect dots between rows of data. What’s missing from the AI conversation, however, is the member-value perspective. The true and often overlooked potential for AI is that it can improve the member experience. Remember Microsoft Clippy (the Microsoft Word cartoon paperclip assistant with bouncing eyebrows)? If you hovered over the paperclip icon, the tool offered users self-help. While the eyebrows were a bit annoying and [the self-help functionality was rather basic (opens in a new tab)](https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-life-death-microsoft-clippy-paper-clip-loved-hate) , this same concept can be modernized today thanks to natural language processing—another form of AI. Instead of a helper simply responding to a cursor’s location, imagine a chatbot that provides in-context help to members logged into a portal. This could mean suggesting local events or responding to their activities. And at events, AI can be used to help members quickly check-in or navigate the show floor. > The true and often overlooked potential for AI is that it can improve the member experience. ### What’s Needed for AI to Thrive? Still, the question remains: How do associations actually achieve the implementation of member-focused AI? Follow these three steps: **Build a modern platform.**This may be where associations lag the most.Many businesses and corporations already use a customer relationship management (CRM) platform. These platforms compile data from a range of different channels, including a company’s website, telephone, email, and live chat functions. Unfortunately, the majority of associations use legacy client-server data management systems where all of their information is stored. There’s no AI for this type of solution. The best associations can hope for is to attempt to extract data the data, but that can be a time-consuming and expensive process. Associations need to catch up. A modern CRM platform is a requirement of business, and it’s the first and most important step to support AI adoption. It’s time to transition to a platform that includes AI tools that can be plugged into and harnessed. **Create forward-looking financials.**Speaking of costs, another requirement for successful AI implementation is to think long term about spending. Far too often, budgets are drafted without accommodating for innovation. It’s a risk-averse process, focused on fixed projects, and from a technology perspective, it maintains the status quo. But AI is not about short-term plans; it’s about investing in the long-term future of the association. The upfront cost may not be inconsequential, but it is going to reap rewards for years to come. **Hire a technical specialist.** Your organization will need an expert, or team of experts, dedicated to technology. Sometimes, the school of thought is that it’s best to buy products that don’t need technical support because it means they’re easier to own, operate, and use. That’s the wrong approach for AI because it’s not as simple as plug-and-play operations. AI can be highly complex and daunting for those who are unfamiliar with how to implement and use it. A technical specialist must be on board to understand and implement AI applications and train users on how to use it. Associations have troves of data that can be used to improve member experiences and interactions through AI. The key, however, is tackling fundamental technology challenges: getting cost approval, having access to experts, and working on a modern platform. Without these three steps, member-focused insights won’t be part of your organization’s future. [Paul Lundy](https://associationsnow.com/author/paul-lundy/) Paul Lundy is Founder and President of Fonteva, Inc., in Arlington, Virginia. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/paul-lundy/) Tags: [#adoption](https://associationsnow.com/tag/adoption/) [#CRM](https://associationsnow.com/tag/crm/) [#Data Management](https://associationsnow.com/tag/data-management/) [#IT Strategy & Management](https://associationsnow.com/tag/it-strategy-management/) [#member support](https://associationsnow.com/tag/member-support/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [Video2025 Summit Award Recipient: National Adoption AssociationOctober 3, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/10/03/2025-summit-award-recipient-national-adoption-association/) - [Article3 Ways to Improve Cybersecurity at Your AssociationOctober 12, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/12/3-ways-to-improve-cybersecurity-at-your-association/) - [TemplateMembers onlyAACC Membership Software Conversion Project ManagerJuly 3, 2007](https://associationsnow.com/2007/07/03/aacc-membership-software-conversion-project-manager/) - [TemplateMembers onlyMembership Hardship Policy and Procedures/ApplicationJune 30, 2009](https://associationsnow.com/2009/06/30/membership-hardship-policy-and-procedures-application/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2018%2F12%2F12%2Fis-your-association-ready-to-support-artificial-intelligence%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !