The Future of Work: Balancing AI Automation With Human Connection

Picture this: A member visits your association’s website late at night stressed about an upcoming certification deadline. She starts a conversation with your AI chatbot, which quickly identifies her completed continuing education hours and directs her to the right pages on your website. When she mentions feeling overwhelmed, the chatbot seamlessly connects her with a staff member the next morning. 

This is the future of AI at associations. Technology handles the routine questions and gathers data so humans can excel at what they do best — connecting, advising, and genuinely caring about members when it matters most. 

So, the question today isn’t whether AI will transform your association — it’s whether you’ll navigate that transformation successfully. As AI capabilities explode, association leaders face a fundamental tension of how to embrace innovation while preserving the human connections that define member value. Get this balance wrong, and you risk losing what makes your association irreplaceable. 

Reimagining the Org Chart in the AI Era

Smart associations are discovering that AI integration isn’t about replacing people — it’s about repositioning them to have a greater impact. 

“The key is to use AI to enhance, not replace, human connections,” says Richard E. Shermanski, a professional ethics and compliance attorney with extensive association governance experience and a member of the ASAE Ethics Committee. “Organizations should structure AI to handle routine information gathering and data processing while freeing staff to focus on relationship building, strategic problem-solving, and providing the personalized guidance that members truly value.” 

This creates exciting possibilities for staff evolution. Monica Pemberton, vice president and chief information officer at the American Council on Education, sees roles, responsibilities, and even job titles transforming rather than disappearing. “There becomes the potential for change in titles. Maybe instead of a member coordinator, the role becomes more of a member engagement strategist.” 

The key functions of that role can shift from hours updating contact information and processing renewals to analyzing member engagement patterns, designing personalized outreach campaigns, or having meaningful conversations with at-risk members. 

Which Tasks Should Stay Human?

Efficiency calculations alone shouldn’t guide these decisions. Associations need an ethical framework that protects member interests and staff well-being. Shermanski recommends a comprehensive approach. “I believe associations should apply a framework that prioritizes mission alignment, fairness and transparency, human dignity, and member trust.” 

Mission alignment serves as the primary filter. Before automating any function, leaders must ask themselves whether AI will better serve the association’s purpose, member needs, and responsibility to staff. Fairness and transparency require honest communication with staff about coming changes and equitable opportunities for skill development. Human dignity means preserving meaningful work that leverages uniquely human capabilities like judgment, creativity, and relationship building. 

Member trust considerations prove equally critical, particularly for sensitive areas like ethics or compliance. As Shermanski notes, certain interactions require human expertise and empathy that AI cannot replicate. The framework ensures automation strengthens rather than weakens the member relationship. 

Tori Miller Liu, MBA, CIP, FASAE, CAE, president and CEO of the Association for Intelligent Information Management (AIIM), advocates for a bottom-up approach to AI automation. “Unless you’re in dire straits, make it a dialogue. Let staff look at their positions and find ways that AI can make their roles better and more fulfilling.” When staff help identify what to automate, they’re more likely to embrace the changes and spot opportunities leaders might miss. 

From Job Displacement to Job Enhancement

Forward-thinking associations recognize their responsibility and invest in helping staff navigate AI transformation. Pemberton takes a strong stance. “If you’re expecting staff to leverage [AI] at work, it’s the association’s responsibility to give them the time and resources to learn how to do that.” 

Leaders must show through actions, not just words, that AI implementation aims to make work more meaningful rather than eliminate positions.  

Charting the Path Forward

The associations that thrive in an AI-enhanced future will be those that approach transformation with intentionality, ethics, and genuine concern for both staff and member welfare. The technology promises tremendous potential — improved efficiency, personalized service, and meaningful work for staff — but only when implemented thoughtfully. 

Liu points to research at AIIM that reveals that 77.4 percent of executives across industries are already experimenting with AI. The risk now isn’t moving too fast — it’s falling behind competitors who are enhancing member value while you’re still debating whether to start. 

“What would be irresponsible is to not experiment out of fear or caution,” Liu warns. “There is a different type of risk altogether in avoiding it.”