Everybody is talking about AI right now. Some boards are using it constantly. Others are nervous about it. Most are somewhere in the middle, curious but not sure where the line is.

Here's the honest version.

What AI Is Good At

Preparation. This is where AI earns its keep for board members. Summarizing agenda items, explaining unfamiliar concepts, decoding acronyms, researching organizations and reviewing previous minutes for context. All of it faster and more thoroughly than most people would do on their own. We covered this in detail in How to Use AI to Prepare for Your Next Board Meeting.

Drafting. AI can help you draft a motion, a letter of support, a public comment, a committee report or a follow-up email. It won't get it perfect but it will get you to a solid first draft faster than staring at a blank page.

Research. Need to understand a piece of legislation before your board votes on a position? Want background on a vendor before approving a contract? Trying to understand what a specific bylaw provision means in practice? AI handles all of this well.

Explaining complex things plainly. Robert's Rules, legal language, financial concepts, government processes. AI is good at translating dense material into plain language, which is exactly what LPCW is built around.

Brainstorming. Trying to think through how to present a difficult topic? Want to anticipate objections before a contentious vote? AI is a useful thought partner for working through ideas before you bring them to the room.

What AI Cannot Do

Make decisions for your board. A vote requires the judgment of the people in the room. AI can help you prepare for that decision. It cannot make it for you and it shouldn't.

Replace institutional knowledge. AI doesn't know your board's history, your community's specific dynamics or the relationship context that shapes how decisions actually get made. That knowledge lives in the people who've been showing up. It can't be prompted.

Attend the meeting. Obvious but worth saying. AI can't read the room, notice who went quiet, catch the tension before a vote or recognize when a conversation has shifted. The human skills of board service are still yours to bring.

Guarantee accuracy. AI gets things wrong. It can misstate a rule, misrepresent an organization or generate a motion with a procedural error. Anything AI produces that will be used in an official capacity should be reviewed by a person who knows what they're looking at. Use it as a starting point, not a final answer.

Replace your governing documents. When there's a conflict between what AI says and what your bylaws, state law or governing body requires, your governing documents win. Every time. AI is a resource, not an authority.

The Governance Question Nobody Is Asking Yet

Most boards haven't discussed how they want members to use AI in their board work. That's worth a conversation.

Not because AI is dangerous but because shared expectations make for better governance. Is it okay to use AI to draft a motion? To summarize meeting minutes? To research an agenda item during the meeting itself?

These aren't trick questions and there are no wrong answers. But having the conversation before someone does something that surprises the rest of the board is better than having it after.

Consider adding AI use to your standing rules or at minimum having an open discussion at a future meeting. It's the kind of thing that feels minor until it isn't.

The Bottom Line

AI is a preparation tool. Use it before you walk in the door. Use it to think more completely, understand more deeply and show up more ready.

What happens in the room is still yours. The judgment, the relationships, the hard calls, the votes that matter to real people in your community — none of that gets outsourced.

The Toolkit

Your Newest Board Member: AI
Checkout Fireflies for AI Notetaking
Meeting Etiquette & Protocol

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