ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts to fill a gap in the existing literature on AI and philanthropy by addressing a fundamental question – what is the level of technological readiness of Asia’s social sector to effectively embrace AI? To answer this question, it adapts Intel’s AI readiness framework to fit the needs of the social sector and assesses the foundational, operational, and transformational readiness of Asia’s social sector (nonprofits and social enterprises). The assessment is done using data from the Doing Good Index 2024, published by the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPS). The data reveals three key insights, namely that (a) the foundational readiness of the Asian social sector is severely lacking due to infrastructural and financial constraints, (b) a lack of skills and expertise is underpinning many of the impediments to improving the sector’s operational readiness, and (c) the social sector in most Asian economies is vulnerable to adopting AI-related technological tools without adequate precautions, opening itself up to significant risks of exploitation and fraud. Fundamentally, the benefits of AI to the region’s social sector are significantly diminished due to the lag in technology adoption and access.
