Great Ideas – FINDING AGENCY IN THE AGE OF AI with Amy Sample Ward & Liz Kane

Oct 15

Kristine Michie - Playfull Podcast Interview - Liz Kane & Amy Sample Ward

Great Ideas – Finding Agency In The Age of AI with Amy Sample Ward & Liz Kane

AI and fast-changing technologies can feel inevitable—but nonprofits and changemakers still have choices. In this Part 2 episode of The PlayFull Podcast, Kristine Michie is joined by Amy Sample Ward (CEO of NTEN) and Liz Kane (John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation). Together, they explore how agency, community, and shared data infrastructure empower organizations to act with intention. From navigating unfamiliar technology to building trust across philanthropy, Amy and Liz break down how everyday choices allow us to bend the arc toward justice.

Key Takeaways:

Ask “who benefits?” before accepting technology as inevitable. Question who profits or gains leverage when a tool or process is presented as an unavoidable necessity.
Choose tools based on mission, needs, and values. Select and adopt technologies grounded in your organization’s specific context rather than outside pressure.
Small, sustained actions drive long-term change. You don't have to do everything; identifying and executing your specific role contributes meaningfully to social progress.
Navigate new tech with curiosity, caution, and conversation. Approaching unfamiliar technology openly allows teams to discuss needs and adjust opinions without treating past approaches as failures.
Build shared data infrastructure through trust. Transforming how the social sector uses data requires field-wide collaboration and collective accountability.

"The best way to use these tools with agency is for you to choose what works for you." — Amy Sample Ward

"Help build a shared data infrastructure. Help build the trust that we can all work together to build a new way of using data in the field." — Liz Kane

More About Elizabeth (Liz) Kane:

Elizabeth (Liz) Kane is Managing Director of Core Services at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Co-Director of the Philanthropy Data Commons ® (PDC). At MacArthur, she leads grants management, knowledge management, and meeting and event services while serving on the Foundation's Leadership Advisory Team. Through her leadership of PDC, she is helping advance shared, consent-based infrastructure that enables trusted information exchange and fosters a more connected, collaborative philanthropic ecosystem.

More About Amy Sample Ward:

Amy Sample Ward (they/them) believes that technology should be accessible and accountable to everyone, especially communities historically and systemically excluded from the digital world. They are the CEO of NTEN, a nonprofit creating a world where missions and movements are more successful through the skillful and equitable use of technology. Amy is currently the Visiting Scholar on AI at Independent Sector as well as a board member and advisor to a number of other organizations.

Connect with Elizabeth (Liz) Kane:
Website: www.philanthropydatacommons.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/philanthropy-data-commons

Connect with Amy Sample Ward:

Website: www.nten.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nten

Connect with Kristine:

The PlayFull Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/pod cast/t he-playfull-po dcast-with-k ristine-michie-bringing-fun/id1676838213?ac tion=write-review

Website: https://www.impactfullinc.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impactfull_inc

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristine-breese-michie/

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