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Which AI bucket are you in?
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In the span of the last year, and really in the last several months, AI has become one of, if not the biggest topic of conversation in the camp world. And that’s specifically from the people running camps. Which has meant spending that time trying to figure out, while watching, how camp directors are figuring it out. With this, I see three buckets they’re falling into. Let’s talk them out and see which one might be a bit of a trap. Bucket 1. Using it to solve problems These are camps using AI to actually do work. Bus transportation. Assigning kids to programs. Building real solutions that fit within the parameters of their specific camp. These folks are getting time back, and solving problems that were actually driving them nuts (or taking up tons of time), not problems they read about in someone else’s newsletter. Honestly, the small group of the people I talk to in this bucket are teaching me as much as I’m teaching them. I am still figuring this out, too. Anyone telling you they’ve got AI 100% completely figured out for camp probably isn’t being truthful. Developments in AI are happening faster than we can keep track of. Bucket 2. Using it like spell-check Copy-paste from Claude or ChatGPT. Drop it into the newsletter or email. Hit send. Never bothered to read it aloud or shape it into the voice of the camp. A majority of the camp people I talk to are sitting somewhere in this bucket right now. You know it when you see it. And if you don’t know it yet, it would pay to go figure out what it looks like, because parents and staff and donors are starting to recognize the pattern faster than you might think. Bucket 3. Choosing not to use it. Could be environmental, could be creative, could be a real concern that AI isn’t amazing for human thought. Whatever the reason, I respect this position. Camp is a construct. You don’t have to use every tool that exists to build a great one. Now here’s where I land on this. What might be happening in Bucket 2 is that you’ve handed your camp’s voice to a tool and stopped listening to your audience. And you might have even stopped listening to yourself. AI for camps is often only as good as what it knows about you, and you are often only as good as the data you collect from real conversations with your families and your staff and real data from your operation. Which is all to say, please read your stuff aloud before you send it. Don’t fully hand anything the keys. If it doesn’t sound like the person whose name is on it, fix it before it goes out. And honestly, the bigger move is past content entirely. The camps using AI well are using it for operational problems. Bus schedules, staff assignments, simplifying registration follow-ups, the things that eat your days, weeks and months. Real work that is specific to your camp, your team, your schedule. That work looks different in every operation, which ends up being the whole point. Every camp uses different tools and values different things. Sincerely, Senior Consultant at Immersive1st Learn more about Immersive1st's Approach |
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