A Framework for the AI Era
We previously shared how crisis dynamics have changed in the era of AI, speed, and disinformation. Today, we want to share ways to stay grounded and ready when it happens. If you’re interested in learning more, please attend our upcoming webinar on July 9.
One of the most helpful shifts we’ve seen is reframing AI itself. Yes, it can be used against you, but it can also sit on your side of the table if you treat it as a tool, not an oracle. AI can’t decide what’s true or what your organization stands for—that’s human work. But it can help you make sense of a fast‑moving situation while the adrenaline is high.
You can use AI to:
- Boil a long thread or article down into the main claims and emotions it’s trying to provoke.
- Draft a few response styles, such as quiet, corrective, or values‑forward, so that you can test tone and resonance.
- Pressure‑test your own draft: identify what a critic might pull out, or what question remains unanswered.
Over and over, what separates organizations that weather a crisis from those that struggle for years is whether they’ve done honest prep ahead of time—and whether they have a simple way to move together when pressure hits.
That’s why we created a framework called SHIFT.
It started as a way to guide the hard but necessary conversations leaders should have before something explodes online:
- Show the cracks: Name where your strategy is shaky or public urgency doesn’t match your pace.
- Human first: Decide whose voice will be out front and how you’ll protect staff, clients, and communities.
- Invite people in: Identify who beyond your walls should help shape your response—partners, grantees, coalition allies, even fair critics.
- Fire a big shot: When the moment calls, make a visible change in action, not just words.
- Tell the whole journey: Follow up publicly about what changed, what didn’t, and what you learned.
When a crisis hits, the same ideas turn into a live loop:
- See the attack clearly.
- Hold your center.
- Identify who matters most.
- Frame your response.
- Track and learn.
We’ve seen this approach protect reputation, funding, and morale when the stakes are highest.
That’s the spirit behind our upcoming webinar on July 9th titled “When Bots Bite: How We Prepare for a Crisis in the Age of AI.”
We’ll walk through real scenarios, show how AI can both target and support you, and share free SHIFT‑based tools you can take straight into your next board meeting or tabletop exercise.
You don’t have to go through this alone. The goal of the webinar is simple: help you feel less overwhelmed, more prepared, and more in control when, and not if, the next digital storm arrives.
Sign up today to learn more and join us.