Artificial Intelligence: A Look at “Generative A.I.” as a Tool for Your Valley
This article originally appeared in the March/April 2025 Scottish Rite Journal.
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Peyton Anderson, 32° | Valley of Richmond, Virginia
Not too long ago, a powerful technological tool entered American life. While early adopters touted this innovation as revolutionary, many people approached it with apprehension. While certainly not without warrant given the time period, the fear and skepticism surrounding this strange and marvelous new advancement were so great that there were calls to ban it completely.The year was 1947, and the controversial new technological innovation? The microwave.
Today that once-feared advancement is a staple of many American kitchens, and the main concern confronting it is potentially burning your popcorn and filling the room with that awful, unmistakable smell.
Once the stuff of science fiction ( see the Scottish Rite Journal article on Br. Karel Čapek’s R.U.R.), a powerful new technological wonder has also entered our times, and, in 2025, many of us are viewing artificial intelligence (A.I.) with the same alarm that was once applied to the now venerated and ubiquitous microwave. While, once again, some of these concerns have merit, are they worth eschewing such new technology entirely? Could we not instead put aspects of this new technological advance to work for us, just as we let the microwave reheat our coffee?
Let us begin by defining A.I.
Artificial intelligence, or A.I., is a program that finds patterns in information and creates a best-guess answer based on how and what you ask of it. It can only generate answers based on the data it has stored. There are many types of A.I. that can create voice-over files in multiple languages and generate unique images, music, and more. Autocorrect, with its sometimes hilarious results, is a form of A.I.
My focus for helping my Valley has been strictly connected to “generative A.I.,” which functions very much like an interactive search engine. The difference here is the level of interaction and detail it can provide over and above a list of website links. Specifically, I used the free version of ChatGPT (a generative A.I. program that simulates human conversation) to help me create our VMAP goals, the quarterly reporting structure, and the breakdown and organization of data from our annual satisfaction survey.
When it came to our VMAP goal, we knew what our points of focus would be: engagement, retention, education, and, of course, membership growth. My plan was to track the success of these goals throughout the year, so I asked my “collaborative partner,” ChatGPT, some questions to help me develop the best approach to that task. After several attempts and refinements, I had a goal and reporting structure that was about 80 percent complete—and it took less than 20 minutes. In less than a half-hour, I had a strong draft of something that I never would have had otherwise, and, for about the remaining 20 percent, I refined it and ensured it was accurate and met our specific needs.
When it came to the data from our survey, I copied short answers into the program and asked it to help me find patterns. I then took that information and added the data from multiple choice questions and again asked it to locate patterns. Like a dedicated employee, it did so without hesitation. I could have done all of this myself, of course, but it would have taken three or more hours. ChatGPT handled the task within ten minutes.
Again, the outcomes generated were not perfect. My human hand was required to smooth the edges and connect some areas that were completely overlooked in the analysis, because I live and work outside the parameters of the snapshot analysis I had provided A.I. I am capable of interpreting relationships, and I know the history behind the data.
Are there risks associated with the use of A.I.? Yes, for bad people can use just about anything to do bad things. Such actors have used A.I. platforms in different ways that do not contribute to the greater good. This likely will continue, and it will provide challenges; however, there is much “Light” to seek in understanding new technology and how best to use it in our lives, our lodges, and our Valleys.
Just as we have harnessed the power of the once-feared microwave to make popcorn quickly while the family enjoys a movie at home, we can also harness the power of A.I. to make many mundane and time-consuming tasks quicker and more manageable. As Scottish Rite Masons, it is our duty to put responsible curiosity over convenient suspicions of conspiracy in all things, and this includes artificial intelligence.
By design, most A.I. tools are easy to use, and, if you can write an email, send a text, or search the internet, you can give ChatGPT, Gemini, or other generative A.I. tools a try. Next time you are analyzing survey data, try one of these platforms to see if they can make quicker work for you. You might have much to gain.
Illustration: Official 32nd Degree Scottish Rite, SJ, Double-headed Eagle in front of an array of connecting lines on a blue background
