By Patronella Sono, Staff Volunteerism Specialist at Momentum Group Foundation
Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere right now – and there’s nothing it can’t seem to do. It explains, recommends and writes. It’s fast, encouraging, and ever-available. Before we know it, it may even take over our grocery shopping and cleaning up after dinner!
But with April being Global Volunteerism Month, it’s an opportune moment to ask: when it comes to something as deeply human as volunteerism, does AI have heart?
Volunteerism has always been about connection. It’s about showing up, listening, understanding and giving your time in a way that means something to someone else. That kind of experience can’t be automated. It can’t be reduced to a prompt or a dataset. And it certainly can’t be replaced, especially not in a country like South Africa, where our sense of ubuntu is so much more than a catchy slogan.
In many organisations, this connection is facilitated through volunteerism programmes, where employees are matched with causes and communities. These programmes rely on people to build relationships, but they also depend on systems taking care of the nitty gritty. AI has a role here: it can help these programmes grow their reach without replacing the people behind them. It can do that in practical ways, for instance by helping match employees to opportunities that interest them or guiding someone who types in something as simple as “mentorship in Gqeberha” or “painting ECD centres in Centurion.”
In a sector where resources are typically stretched thin, AI can also assist in handling the admin – such as data collection, reporting, coordination and tracking – and freeing up time for CSI teams and programme managers to focus on what really matters: connecting people and communities.
Used well, AI can also help CSI teams understand participation patterns and identify where more people could get involved. It can personalise communication and make it easier for employees to find opportunities that suit them, helping to grow participation across teams. That kind of instant feedback can help turn good intentions into action.
One example of this is a mentorship programme by one of our NPO partners, the Phakamani Young Minds Academy, which evolved from a simple WhatsApp-based initiative into a fully digital platform connecting learners and mentors more effectively. The integration of AI-enabled systems has made it possible to track engagement, surface insights and reduce administrative friction, ensuring more consistent, meaningful interactions. This has supported rapid growth, with the programme growing from just 15 learners to 180 in the space of a few months, with ambitions to reach 1,000 by 2030. The technology hasn’t replaced the human element; it has strengthened it, enabling mentors and learners to connect more reliably and at greater scale.
But what AI cannot do is replace the human element that sits at the heart of volunteerism. Empathy can’t be programmed. It isn’t a pattern to recognise or a response to generate. It is hardwired in us thanks to our upbringing and society. A computer cannot place itself in another person’s shoes – only a human can.
So no, AI doesn’t have a heart. But if we apply it well, it might just help more people use theirs.
The post Can AI have a heart? Maybe not – but it could help more people give theirs appeared first on The Home Of Great South African News.
