AI Helped Me Be a Better Volunteer
In early October, I volunteered at Raleigh Wide Open. It's Raleigh's first attempt at hosting a bluegrass festival since IBMA moved the World of Bluegrass to Chattanooga. I watched local performers. I surveyed festival-goers. I answered their questions.
The day of my volunteer shift arrived. I drove downtown, found parking, and walked to Fayetteville Street. Despite my efforts, I couldn't find the volunteer check-in station in my emails (darn you, Apple Mail app!). Instead, I found a 20-page informative PDF I was supposed to read before my shift. I uploaded it to NotebookLM. The whole thing.
Within a minute, NotebookLM told me where to check in. I arrived on time and received my elaborate survey-taking training: they sent me right out into the street.
The people had questions.
"What time does Hank, Pattie, and The Current come on?"
"Can we bring our own food?"
"Are chairs provided?"
"Where the heck is volunteer check-in?" (ok, we all know this was mine)
When these bluegrass fans had a question, they could have pulled out their phones. That would have pulled them out of the moment. They could have searched our site and still unable to find the answer. Those who can't see well might have struggled resizing tiny text on mobile.
Instead, they came to me. I'd check NotebookLM and give them the answer in seconds.
NotebookLM helped me volunteer better. It helped me help people better. It helped me have a conversation instead of us all staring at screens alone. People didn't spend their Saturday digging through pages or squinting at PDFs. They stayed present. They stayed off their phones. They enjoyed the festival.
Yes, I'm on my phone. But I'm working. These people are trying to relax. I try to keep my rest time screen-free. I understand if they do too.
This is what excites me about AI. Not the "robots are taking our jobs" stuff. This: AI helping me do my thing better. Helping me volunteer. Helping me show up for my community.