Sidecar Blog

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An illustration of a greenhouse with a glass partition separating wild vines from neatly organized saplings, representing controlled environments.

5 min read

The Zero Percent Churn Problem: Guardrails for AI Agents

Imagine an association executive handing a massive problem over to a new technology. The organization is facing a retention crisis, so the executive spins up an autonomous system, gives it access to the membership database, and provides a single,...

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5 min read

Stop Automating Everything: The Case for Narrow AI Workflows

There is a strong temptation to hand the keys over to the machine. When organizations start experimenting with artificial intelligence, the vision...

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5 min read

The AI Slowdown Paradox: Why Associations Must Speed Up Now

Researchers resigning from major artificial intelligence labs. Open letters signed by thousands of industry insiders asking governments to build a...

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Episode 152 of the Sidecar Sync Podcast cover art featuring Amith Nagarajan and Mallory Mejias

38 min read

Will AI End Us All? | [Sidecar Sync Episode 152]

Summary: The people building AI are starting to sound scared of what they're building. Amith Nagarajan and Mallory Mejias take on the AI safety...

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An illustration of a historic library open to a bright sky with vines growing down the bookshelves.

5 min read

Abundant Intelligence: What Happens to Your Members When Expertise is Free?

For generations, professional associations have operated under a fundamental economic premise. Expertise is hard to build, difficult to scale, and...

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5 min read

Rebranding the Hallucination: Why AI's Biggest Flaw is a Strategic Feature

Bring up artificial intelligence in any boardroom, and the conversation inevitably turns to the same roadblock. Someone will point out that language...

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An open padlock sitting next to interchangeable gears on a workbench.

5 min read

The AMS Fallacy: Why Buying AI is Nothing Like Buying Association Software

The process of buying an association management system is a familiar ritual. It begins with a massive request for proposals. Committees form to...

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Episode 151 of the Sidecar Sync Podcast cover art featuring Amith Nagarajan and Mallory Mejias

20 min read

Fundamentals of AI, Part 2 | [Sidecar Sync Episode 151]

Summary: Intelligence is turning into a resource you can scale like electricity, and that shift changes what's actually worth your attention in the...

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An editorial illustration of a vast library archive with a highlighted pathway leading to a specific section of rare books.

5 min read

The Thomson Reuters lesson: Why Your Niche Data is Your AI Moat

Imagine a real estate professional looking for highly specific, county-level zoning regulations from two decades ago. They open a generic AI model...

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