Automating Compassion
This may be a controversial topic, but it’s one that I feel needs to be discussed.
I grew up with technology. My father worked for various tech companies during the Computer Wars of the early 1980s, when small companies fought fiercely for dominance in a rapidly evolving industry. Some brands shot to the top, only to be hacked, bought out, or erased as quickly as they arrived. It was a brutal climb for survival.
Because of my father’s career, we had three computers in our household at a time when most people didn’t even know what a computer was. I was three years old when I first touched a keyboard. I learned to type DOS commands to open tiny two-byte games. My brother loved word mazes; I leaned toward strategy and action games (no surprise there). Technology became the language of my childhood, and computers have been constant companions ever since.
By 1999, I was online, chatting with strangers from around the globe while playing backgammon. The game sharpened my strategy while the chat rooms sharpened my typing speed and gave me a window into the world. Later, the internet became my springboard for bigger things, like starting a graphic design company at 24, experimenting with a few short-lived MLMs, building a fair trade jewelry business that lasted a decade, and eventually meeting my husband through social media. In many ways, I traveled the world long before I ever packed a suitcase.
So, when I say I understand AI, it comes from a lifetime of living with evolving technology. AI is not magic, it is patterns of zeroes and ones, stitched together in a language we don’t speak, built by human hands and therefore subject to human flaws. It generalizes. It makes mistakes. It is perfectly imperfect.
And yet, in the last few months, this so-called “new technology” has claimed the livelihoods of thousands, if not millions, of hardworking people. Even worse, it has begun to drain the heart out of nonprofits.
I’ve been part of the nonprofit world since I was 14, and working formally as a fundraiser and grant writer since 32. I’ve seen generosity reduced to automation, rejection letters generated by cold templates, and “Do Not Contact” clauses that slam doors on human connection. Corporations are stepping into the grant-writing field, cutting costs, chasing profit, and driving seasoned professionals into a race to the bottom, bidding lower and lower just to keep working. Nonprofits, caught in the middle, fear that their lifeline may be snatched away.
But here’s the part that gives me hope: people are pushing back. The grant world is shifting. Foundations are reclaiming their values. Nonprofits are speaking boldly about culture and mission. Volunteers are advocating for equality. Human beings are remembering what it means to be human.
And it’s inspiring. I see young people rising up to defend their beliefs. I see compassion resurfacing in unexpected places. Every generation has its voices of resistance, but this one seems to be meeting the challenge with fresh fire. Perhaps the last generation grew weary, prioritizing family over community, or, in some cases, chasing futures that never arrived. But now, a new wave is stepping in to remind us that compassion isn’t optional. It’s essential.
I sometimes joke that I’m a cyborg. My career is tethered to technology. My family is connected online. I can travel the world without ever leaving my desk. But even so, I keep a passport handy. I touch grass every day. I close my laptop to open a real book. Because if we forget how to live beyond the screen, we lose something vital.
If you feel overwhelmed by the disconnection of modern life, change it. Step outside without your phone. Travel to a new place and talk to strangers. Yes, it’s scary, but it’s worth it.
And if you lead a business or nonprofit, don’t forget that your team members are more than numbers on a spreadsheet. They have families, dreams, and passions. They are not just there to advance your goals; they are partners in building something bigger than you could ever achieve alone.
Don’t lose yourself in a digital world that can shatter in an instant. Don’t put your trust in perpetually “beta” software that may disappear in five years. Remember why you were given a heart in the first place.
No matter how advanced our machines become, compassion cannot, and should not, be automated.
Want to keep reading, check out this blog: The Power of Thought: How Your Mindset Shapes Your Future
