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I've been tracking AI developments for years because of what they mean for our community of impact-driven professionals. This latest release from OpenAI? It's going to fundamentally shift how we build careers of impact and scale change.

It's Like Having a Research Assistant Who Actually Gets It
You know how I spend hours every week connecting people to opportunities, researching trends in the future of work, and identifying resources for our PCDN community and beyond? Well, ChatGPT-5 can now handle complex, multi-step research projects on its own. I can tell it to map the social entrepreneurship ecosystem in Latin America or identify funding opportunities for climate justice initiatives, and it'll actually deliver—not just give me generic talking points.

Perfect for Network Weaving
As someone who's constantly connecting changemakers to opportunities, I'm seeing huge potential here. This tool can analyze relationship patterns, spot connection opportunities, and even draft personalized introductions based on shared interests and complementary skills. Imagine being able to instantly identify which entrepreneurs in Medellín should meet which investors in Silicon Valley, or which Georgetown students have the exact skills that nonprofit leaders in our network are seeking.

Levels the Playing Field for Impact Entrepreneurs
The entrepreneurs I work with in Medellín and across Latin America often can't afford expensive consultants and research teams. ChatGPT-5 changes that equation completely. Small social ventures can now compete on insight and execution, not just who has the deepest pockets. A student social entrepreneur in Colombia can now access the same level of strategic analysis as a well-funded organization in New York.

Perfect for the Tri-Sectoral Work I Champion
Whether you're navigating nonprofit governance, academic research, or social enterprise strategy, ChatGPT-5 mostly gets the complexity of working across sectors. It understands the different languages, incentives, and constraints of each space—something that's taken me years to master. When I'm helping someone transition from academia to social entrepreneurship, or from nonprofit work to impact investing, the AI can help translate concepts and identify relevant opportunities across these different worlds.

To see a super cool demo of how it works in practice see the livestream from Open AI from August 7

The Equity Gap I've Always Fought Against
Basic access is free, but the powerful features cost money. This creates exactly the kind of unequal opportunity distribution I've spent my career fighting against. Well-funded organizations get AI superpowers while grassroots changemakers get whatever's left over. The irony is painful—a tool that could democratize access to sophisticated analysis might instead widen the very gaps we're working to close.

Privacy and Data

Chatgpt will have the ability to connect to your Gmail and/or Google Calendar. As AI tools get access to even more personal data there can be huge dangers here.

Could Undermine the Critical Thinking I Teach
In my Georgetown classes on social entrepreneurship, I hammer home the importance of deep analysis and creative problem-solving. If students and emerging professionals become too dependent on AI for thinking, we risk losing the intellectual rigor that actually creates breakthrough solutions. There's a difference between using AI to enhance your thinking and letting it think for you.

And honestly? This hits close to home. I use ChatGPT constantly, and Perplexity even more—it's become my go-to for quick research and exploration. But I do often wonder: is it affecting my ability for deep thinking and exploration? Am I losing some of that slow, contemplative analysis that used to define my best work? When I catch myself reaching for AI for every question instead of sitting with uncertainty and working through problems myself, I worry we're trading efficiency for insight.

The Fabrication Problem is Real
ChatGPT-5 still makes stuff up about 5% of the time. For impact work—where credibility and trust are everything—this is genuinely dangerous. When you're building a movement or trying to secure funding, accuracy isn't optional.

The Dependency Risk is Personal
I've seen brilliant students start using AI as a crutch instead of a tool. They begin losing confidence in their own analytical abilities, always second-guessing themselves. For changemakers, confidence in your own judgment is crucial—especially when you're challenging systems and conventional wisdom. And if I'm being honest, I sometimes catch myself doing this too—doubting my instincts because I haven't run them by an AI first.

The Skills Premium Shifts Dramatically
Technical writing, basic research, routine analysis—these become table stakes. The real premium moves to relationship building, ethical judgment, creative problem-solving, and knowing which questions to ask. Basically, all the human skills I've always emphasized in my work with PCDN and in my teaching.

Emotional Intelligence Becomes More Valuable
As AI handles more cognitive tasks, the ability to build trust, navigate conflict, inspire action, and create authentic connections becomes increasingly rare and valuable. This is why I've always focused on building PCDN as a community, not just a platform—because relationships are what create lasting change.

Network Effects Matter More Than Ever
When everyone has access to powerful AI tools, your competitive advantage isn't the technology—it's the quality of your relationships and the depth of your community connections. The entrepreneurs who succeed will be those who can build coalitions, inspire followers, and navigate complex stakeholder relationships.

Creative Problem-Solving Becomes the Differentiator
AI can analyze existing solutions and optimize current approaches, but breakthrough innovations still require human creativity and intuition. The changemakers who'll make the biggest impact are those who can use AI to free up mental space for the kind of creative thinking that produces truly novel solutions.

But here's the catch: if we're constantly outsourcing our thinking to AI, how do we maintain the creative edge that produces breakthrough solutions? This is something I'm actively wrestling with in my own work.

Getting Started is Simple
You can use basic ChatGPT-5 for free right now through the standard ChatGPT interface. For those ready to invest, paid versions start at $20/month for faster responses and priority access, going up to $60+ monthly for advanced reasoning features and extended capacity.

Start Small, Think Big
Begin with low-stakes projects—draft social media posts, summarize research papers, or brainstorm program ideas. As you get comfortable with the tool and learn its strengths and blind spots, gradually expand to more critical applications.

Always Verify, Especially for Impact Work
Make fact-checking a habit, particularly for health information, policy details, or anything affecting people's safety and well-being. The 5% error rate might seem small, but in our work, those errors can have real consequences for real people. This is so important.

Use It to Amplify, Not Replace, Your Judgment
The most successful changemakers will use ChatGPT-5 to handle routine cognitive tasks so they can focus on strategy, relationships, and the complex ethical decisions that define impact work. Think of it as freeing up your bandwidth for the work that only humans can do.

Maintain Your Deep Thinking Muscles
This is something I'm working on myself—setting aside time for unassisted reflection and analysis. Maybe it's taking walks without immediately researching every question that pops up, or sitting with complex problems longer before turning to AI for answers. The goal is using AI as a collaborator, not a replacement for our own thinking.

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😄 Joke of the Day
Why did the AI break up with the algorithm?
It couldn’t compute the relationship anymore.

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