Creative Intelligence: ChatGPT in Church, State, and Everywhere In Between

In today's Creative Intelligence report, I share the latest news on how governments, institutions, and companies around the world are adopting AI (or not).

🎂 Birthday Alert! 🎂 My birthday is March 16, which means there's never been a better time than now to buy me a glass of champagne (or a month of Notion). To redistribute some energy, head here and I will hoist a toast to us on Thursday. 🥂

🧭 Wayfinding

Here are the top headlines and themes I'm tracking today. Consider this intel as you craft your AI strategy.

1️⃣ Globally, governments and cultural institutions are choosing where, how, and whether to incorporate AI.

🏛️ Algorithmic Advisors

• What's Happening: Nicolae Ciucă, the prime minister of Romania, unveiled ION, an AI-powered bot that displays real-time public sentiment on government proposals and citizens' problems and desires. It's intended to bring the voice of Romanian citizens into government meetings. [Romania Insider]
• In India, there's heated debate on whether AI and robotics are appropriate for religious worship. Case in point: the robotic arm being used during some Hindu rituals. [The Conversation]
• Religious leaders across the U.S. report positive early experiments in using ChatGPT for sermon writing – and share the human traits like compassion, love, and empathy that are even more important in an age of AI. [TaxProf]

Marissa's Take:

• In the private sector, many leaders already have "AI board members" to provide context and recommendations on key decisions. A public sector bot like Romania's ION may help politicians remember they were elected to serve their constituents' interests. My curiosity is: Will humans always have the final say in decisions that affect millions of lives?
• In every cultural context – even religion – leaders are examining the ideal relationship with technology and figuring out how to dance with it.
• It's a value judgment worth thinking about and discussing with your loved ones: What areas, traditions, family rhythms, and rituals are important to always keep tech-free? Why?
• I keep reminding myself that most people didn't start using ChatGPT until December 2022. That's 3.5 months ago, and AI is now an expected topic of every earnings call, leadership interview, and panel discussion.
• This pace of acceleration is what exponential growth feels like. For me, the adaptation was jarring and exposed some old unhealed work patterns. I anticipate variations on this to echo through different populations as AI becomes increasingly woven into everything.
• In your family and life, who might be most affected by AI? Who might get caught by surprise? What resources or formats would help them want to start learning more?