Public Affairs Trends

Moving Beyond Form Letters: How AI is Personalizing Public Affairs

Public Affairs Trends

Show Notes

In this episode, Neil speaks with Chazz Clevenger, founder and CEO of Civiclick, a digital advocacy technology and data company. We delve into the pervasive influence of AI in public affairs, dissecting where the technology offers genuine value versus merely creating "noise." Clevenger, with two decades of experience in advocacy tech, explains how AI can revolutionize advocate messaging by enabling personalized, authentic communication at scale, moving beyond generic form letters. He also highlights AI's impact on policy intelligence and targeted outreach while cautioning against its overuse in recruitment. The conversation addresses the critical risk of AI-generated "astroturf" and stresses the importance of human verification and ethical practices to maintain credibility with legislative offices. Clevenger advises advocacy teams to focus AI on empowering authentic advocate voices and never to surrender strategic judgment or human relationships to machines, emphasizing that true impact comes from amplifying, not fabricating, human stories.

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