704. How Special Olympics is Using AI + Technology to Scale Belonging - Nathan Cook
Meet Nathan Cook 👋 He is the Chief Information and Technology Officer at Special Olympics International, where he is using technology to do something remarkable: help a movement that serves 5 million athletes across 172 countries finally operate as one. He is building a digital center of excellence, co-creating AI tools with athletes, and asking a question that should reshape how every nonprofit thinks about technology: what if we built this with the people we serve, not just for them?
In this episode, you'll hear:
- How Special Olympics went from fragmented, program-by-program systems to a unified digital platform, and what it meant when 50% of athletes could suddenly self-register and own their own information for the first time
- The story of Med Buddy, an AI-powered healthcare assistant that sits in the room with athletes during medical visits to translate, advocate, and improve care for people with intellectual disabilities
- Why AI has an ableism problem: the research Special Olympics has conducted on bias in large language models, and what organizations need to know before AI gets embedded in more decision-making
Episode Highlights:
- Meet Nathan Cook (2:33)
- Nathan's path to this work: programming robots as a kid (3:04)
- Why Special Olympics' fragmented systems were limiting the mission (4:16)
- Technology at scale: how 50% of athletes can now self-register (5:04)
- Building with athletes, not just for them: universal design in action (9:04)
- Meet Med Buddy: AI as a healthcare advocate in the room (13:34)
- Advice for nonprofits hesitant about AI (18:07)
- AI bias and ableism in large language models (22:04)
- A generosity story: a mom who finally talked with her son (25:08)
- One good thing: eat the water beetle (28:03)
Episode Show Notes: https://www.weareforgood.com/episode/704
Make the most of Monthly Giving Awareness Week 💛
During Monthly Giving Awareness Week (May 11-16), Givebutter is giving back. For every new monthly donor who gives $5 or more, your nonprofit earns a $10 donation. $25,000 in matching funds are available to organizations just like yours! Get all the details and get started today here!Â
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Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free.
Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com
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More description
Meet Nathan Cook 👋 He is the Chief Information and Technology Officer at Special Olympics International, where he is using technology to do something remarkable: help a movement that serves 5 million athletes across 172 countries finally operate as one. He is building a digital center of excellence, co-creating AI tools with athletes, and asking a question that should reshape how every nonprofit thinks about technology: what if we built this with the people we serve, not just for them?
In this episode, you'll hear:
- How Special Olympics went from fragmented, program-by-program systems to a unified digital platform, and what it meant when 50% of athletes could suddenly self-register and own their own information for the first time
- The story of Med Buddy, an AI-powered healthcare assistant that sits in the room with athletes during medical visits to translate, advocate, and improve care for people with intellectual disabilities
- Why AI has an ableism problem: the research Special Olympics has conducted on bias in large language models, and what organizations need to know before AI gets embedded in more decision-making
Episode Highlights:
- Meet Nathan Cook (2:33)
- Nathan's path to this work: programming robots as a kid (3:04)
- Why Special Olympics' fragmented systems were limiting the mission (4:16)
- Technology at scale: how 50% of athletes can now self-register (5:04)
- Building with athletes, not just for them: universal design in action (9:04)
- Meet Med Buddy: AI as a healthcare advocate in the room (13:34)
- Advice for nonprofits hesitant about AI (18:07)
- AI bias and ableism in large language models (22:04)
- A generosity story: a mom who finally talked with her son (25:08)
- One good thing: eat the water beetle (28:03)
Episode Show Notes: https://www.weareforgood.com/episode/704
Make the most of Monthly Giving Awareness Week 💛
During Monthly Giving Awareness Week (May 11-16), Givebutter is giving back. For every new monthly donor who gives $5 or more, your nonprofit earns a $10 donation. $25,000 in matching funds are available to organizations just like yours! Get all the details and get started today here!Â
//
Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free.
Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com
Say hi 👋
LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter
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