Stop funding the wrong future: A manifesto for AI-native impact

Quick Overview

The speaker advocates for a shift in funding priorities within the social impact sector, urging investors and leaders to fund disruptive, AI-native organizations rather than incremental innovations, referencing three core manifestos: Fund Disruption, Not Innovation; Fund Leaders, Not Laggards; and Fund Impact, Not Programs, to achieve systemic positive change by 2028.

Key Points: The speaker proposes a manifesto arguing against funding incremental innovation and instead focusing on funding disruption to solve global challenges effectively. Manifesto #2 advocates funding AI-native leaders who understand how to leverage technology for systemic change, rather than funding laggards or those focused only on basic AI tool usage (like ChatGPT). The speaker claims that 30% of requests received by Tech To The Rescue could be solved by existing AI solutions, indicating a failure to fund truly disruptive ideas. Digital Enablement Programs are criticized for teaching basic skills (like using ChatGPT) while failing to teach redesigning processes or thinking in AI-native workflows. Manifesto #3 stresses funding 'Impact, Not Programs,' arguing that current systems often reward organizations that lie about impact, leading to wasted investment. The speaker cites the example of Maria, an educator in São Paulo, whose AI-native approach to helping refugees is already demonstrating significant impact, contrasting with organizations stuck in old models. The ultimate goal is to enable AI-native organizations to achieve exponential impact by focusing on systemic transformation rather than small, incremental improvements.

Context: Jacek Siadkowski, Co-Founder and CEO of Tech To The Rescue (TTTR), presents a manifesto outlining critical shifts needed in how funding is allocated within the social impact and non-profit sectors. He uses his organization's experience working with over 100 leading nonprofits to illustrate flawed funding patterns and proposes three core principles for achieving genuine, scalable impact in the AI era, looking ahead to 2028.