Responsible AI Adoption: A Step-by-Step Framework
Once your foundation is secure, you can begin exploring AI more confidently and eth- ically.
Here’s how:
Fortify First: Prioritize strong cybersecurity practices as a non- negotiable baseline.
Know Your Data: Audit your data flows. Know what you collect, where it lives, who has access, and how it might be used by AI tools.
Modernize Policies: Update your privacy statements and internal policies to reflect new tools, cus- tomer expectations, and state laws.
Evaluate Vendors: Choose AI partners and software providers who are transparent about how they use your data and meet compliance standards.
Educate Your Team: Globally, 77% of employers expect to reskill workers for AI collaboration. Build technical fluency and data awareness within your staff.
Be an Advocate: Join discussions about governance. Participate in organizations like the WPA. Regulation shouldn't be done to us—it should be done with us. Our industry, with its unique operational realities and role in the supply chain, has crucial insights to offer in guiding practical and effective tech policies.
The Western Pallet Association’s State Advocacy Committee is a real opportunity for you to influence how our industry prepares for the future. If you want to ensure that policies remain practical and aligned with how we operate, your voice is needed.
Remember: We don't just respond to disruption. We prepare for it, build on it, and lead through it. The policy decisions we make today will define AI’s impact tomorrow.
I’ll leave you with a powerful reminder from Winston Churchill, “The price of greatness is responsibility."
Until next time, keep innovating, keep advocating, and keep Bridging the Gap!
P.S. Feeling new to the intersection of advocacy, regulations, and tech—or perhaps all three? A helpful way to get started and distill the main ideas is to ask your favorite AI assistant to summarize this article. That AI summary can be your springboard: use it to spark new conversations, brainstorm solutions, expand your understanding, or dive deeper into the topics that resonate most!
WPM
June 2025
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