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What do these people have in common: a college-grad accountant, a mid-career lawyer, an elk farmer, and a marine retailer?
We'd be willing to bet that most, if not all, of these professionals are wondering how AI could impact their livelihoods and professions. They're asking questions like: Will AI replace what I do? How can I use it to be better at my job? What does this mean for my career in five years?
This curiosity represents a massive opportunity hiding in plain sight within your membership.
Your Members Need Leadership in the Age of AI
If you've kept up with AI news over the past few years, you know this technology isn't going anywhere. For good and for bad, AI will absolutely impact the way we live and work. The question isn't whether AI transformation will happen to your members—it's whether you'll be there to guide them through it.
Your members are looking for trusted guidance on navigating this transformation. They don't want generic AI advice or superficial overviews from business publications. They want someone who understands their specific professional challenges to help them make sense of what AI means for their career, their industry, and their daily work.
If you want to truly serve your members, you need to lead them into the age of AI.
Your members joined your association because they trust you to help them navigate the changes and challenges in their field. AI represents perhaps the most significant change many professions will face in our lifetimes.
"But My Members Are Technical..."
Many association leaders hesitate to dive into AI education because they assume their members—especially technical ones—already understand AI better than they do. This assumption may be wrong.
Even highly technical members are regularly surprised by AI capabilities when they see them applied to their specific professional contexts. We've seen this play out at our sister company Betty, an AI knowledge assistant for associations. Even technical members at these organizations consistently say that the AI is better than any member they could talk to. It's more knowledgeable, smarter, gives better answers, and is obviously faster than consulting with colleagues.
These are reactions from people with advanced degrees, years of expertise, and deep technical knowledge. Yet they're blown away by AI capabilities they didn't expect.
Here's why: understanding AI theory is completely different from knowing how to apply it professionally. A computer scientist might understand neural networks but not realize how AI could transform client service in their consulting practice. An engineer might know how machine learning works but miss how AI could revolutionize quality control in their manufacturing process.
The difference between technical knowledge and practical application creates an education gap even in the most sophisticated professional communities. Your members need someone to bridge that gap—someone who understands both the technology and their profession.
Trust, Expertise, and Revenue Potential
Your association is perfectly positioned to lead AI education in your profession for reasons that no one else can replicate.
You already have your members' trust when it comes to professional development. You know the daily challenges your members face, the professional standards they must uphold, and the career paths that matter to them. You can connect AI capabilities to real professional contexts instead of teaching abstract concepts.
Most importantly, you're invested in their long-term professional success, not just selling them the latest technology solution. Your relationship with your members spans years, and you care about their career development and professional reputation.
Your members want AI education, and they want it from you. This represents both a significant service opportunity and substantial revenue potential. AI education is rapidly becoming essential professional development, not optional continuing education. The associations that lead this charge will create substantial new revenue streams while strengthening their position as indispensable professional resources.
Think about the economics: your members are going to invest in AI education regardless. They're either going to pay you—the organization they trust—or they're going to pay someone else who lacks your industry expertise. The opportunity is sitting right there in your membership, waiting for you to recognize it and act on it.
Making It Happen
You have multiple pathways for bringing AI education to your members, and the approach you choose depends on your resources, timeline, and appetite for building versus partnering.
The build-it-yourself approach means bringing in subject matter experts and creating your own AI education programs from scratch. This gives you complete control over content, delivery, and member experience. You'll need to identify credible AI educators and develop curriculum that connects to your profession. It's more work upfront, but you own the entire experience.
The partnership approach offers a much more streamlined path. We at Sidecar can work with you to bring quality AI education to your members through a revenue-sharing model. This partnership combines our AI expertise with your brand and member relationships. You get comprehensive AI education without the complexity of building everything from scratch, while still maintaining your position as the trusted source of professional development for your members.
Either way, the key is getting started. Your members need this guidance, and they want it from you. The associations that move first will establish themselves as the go-to source for AI education in their professions, while those that wait will find themselves playing catch-up as members seek guidance elsewhere.
The infrastructure, expertise, and demand are all there. The question is which approach fits your association best.
The Time to Lead
Remember the college-grad accountant, the mid-career lawyer, the elk farmer, and the marine retailer we started with? They're still wondering how AI will impact their work, and they want guidance from someone who understands their profession.
That someone should be you.
As their trusted professional steward, you have a responsibility to help your members navigate one of the most significant technological shifts their fields will face. AI represents a fundamental change in how they'll work, compete, and succeed in their professions for years to come.
Your members are looking for this guidance. They want it from you. The opportunity is yours to take.
