One area we’re particularly excited about is AI note-taking and transcription tools. We are evaluating different AI tools and will share our decision-making process. The goal of this project is to increase productivity, strengthen partnerships, and build our organizational memory—all while preparing Pursuit for an increasingly AI-driven future.

We’re currently evaluating AI-powered note-taking tools with the goal of selecting one that becomes a core part of our operations. Here’s why we believe this is a critical step:

Efficiency and Cost Savings

By using an AI tool to transcribe and summarize meetings, we estimate saving around 10 hours per staff member each week. That’s a major efficiency boost across our team of ~50 people. It also means fewer people need to attend meetings “just to stay informed”, since they can catch up via comprehensive recaps.

Beyond saving time, these tools can help us objectively assess our productivity and meeting effectiveness, track accountability for action items, and reduce the risk of losing momentum during staffing changes. For instance, when a new relationship manager steps in, they’ll have all the context they need to hit the ground running.

Stronger Partner Relationships

AI tools can help us manage relationships with external partners more effectively. Features like automated relationship mapping and sentiment analysis will allow us to:

• Objectively assess the strength of our partnerships.

• Identify trends, opportunities to collaborate, or even productize offerings.

This isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about using data to deepen our relationships and amplify impact.

Future-Proofing Pursuit

Centralizing our learnings now sets us up for the future. As we accumulate meeting data, we’ll have the foundation to train AI systems to help us make strategic decisions. The more data the more powerful this becomes. Imagine an AI that not only recalls past discussions, but uses that knowledge to recommend next steps, strategies, and opportunities. By starting now, we’re ensuring that Pursuit can continue to innovate and adapt. We are building our organizational memory and capturing as much data as possible now to help lay the infrastructure for the future.

To make an informed decision, we’ll test a few different AI note-taking tools. Our current shortlist includes:

• Granola

• Fireflies

• Limitless

• Otter

• Wave

We’ll use them across various types of meetings (not exhaustive):

• Pursuit ‘Wrapped’: Weekly summaries of our All Staff meetings, which are currently crafted manually by reviewing slides and creating a high-level summary.

• Recurring Internal Meetings: Regular team syncs to evaluate how well the tools capture ongoing project discussions.

• Meetings with External Partners: Testing how well the tools support relationship-building and partner management.

Each tool will be evaluated based on several criteria:

• Summarization Quality: How effectively does it capture key points and action items?

• User Experience: Is the tool easy to use and integrate into our current workflows?

• Data Quality: Does the tool provide raw data, recordings, and accurate transcripts that can be used for analysis and future reference? High-quality, accessible data is essential for building a strong foundation for AI-powered insights.

• Content Digestibility: Does it help make information easy to understand and share?

• Consistency: Can it ensure our language and tone remain uniform across communications?

• Price: How scalable and cost-effective is it for our current team size and future growth?

At a minimum, the ideal tool should offer:

• Accurate transcripts

• Useful summaries

• Sentiment analysis

• Unlimited transcription capacity

• Integration with Salesforce, Google Drive, and Slack.

Additional features we’d love to see include API access for custom workflows, advanced task management capabilities, and robust implementation or support packages.

By approaching this evaluation methodically, we aim to find the best tool to meet our needs, while also learning more about how AI can transform our operations. This isn’t just about picking a tool—it’s about building the infrastructure that will support our long-term goals.

Note: Header image generated by Adobe Firefly 3. Prompt = organizational memory, forest, young trees, sunrise on summer morning

In 2024, we launched some internal pilots to incorporate LLMs into our work. But the world is rapidly changing. We recognize that for us to thrive in 2025 and beyond, we must not only respond to this rapid progress, but also take deliberate and immediate steps to evolve. Change isn’t optional. It’s essential.

While the challenges may feel overwhelming and the path is uncharted, we are optimistic about Pursuit’s unique role in this new reality. And we are committed to innovating and building a brighter future for the people and communities we serve. This will enable us to best serve our Fellows and create jobs.

Here’s a look at how AI is evolving, its societal impacts, and Pursuit’s strategic approach for 2025.

The pace of AI advancement is staggering. To understand how far we've come, it’s helpful to consider this progress as a spectrum of intelligence. 

In his essay series “SITUATIONAL AWARENESS: The Decade Ahead,” AI researcher and investor Leopold Aschenbrenner highlights the rapid scaling of compute and investments in AI. Just a few years ago, GPT-2 was akin to a preschooler in its abilities. Today, GPT-4 represents a “high school-level” learner. Based on current advancements, there’s a strong belief among AI experts that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)— intelligence equivalent to an average human—could arrive within 2 to 5 years. Benchmarks like ARC-AGI indicate accelerating progress nearing or reaching 100% AGI as early as 2025.

AGI is a big deal. It’s intelligence capable of reasoning, learning, and solving problems across a wide range of contexts. Imagine chatbots evolving into agents that can perform complex, long-term tasks, working alongside us as coworkers.

The signs are already here. By one measure, OpenAI’s latest 03 model is already ranked among the top 200 coders in the world—a remarkable feat. And these milestones are coming faster. New AI base models are being released every few months, each more capable than the last.

What’s on the horizon? Superintelligence… AI that surpasses human intelligence. This is a concept that may be hard to grasp, but the trajectory is clear. And we need to prepare for a world shaped by it.

With such significant advancements, the implications are vast. AI’s impact on the workforce and society at large is comparable only to groundbreaking historical shifts.

A look at the headlines in the past month: “Should You Still Learn to Code in an A.I. World?” and “Arizona School’s Curriculum Will Be Taught by AI, No Teachers.” These are just glimpses of the fundamental rethinking and changes ahead.

So, how do we navigate this uncertainty and instability? By focusing on the things that don’t change:

• Higher-order skills: Problem-solving, creativity, adaptability. These will always matter.

• Network: Relationships drive outcomes.

• Employer embeddedness and partnerships: Deep, ongoing relationships with employers will be critical as job roles evolve.

The truth is, no one has all the answers right now—not us, not even employers, as Sarah Kessler highlighted. But Pursuit has always been about figuring things out. And we’re up for the challenge.

This isn’t a doom-and-gloom story. We’re optimistic about the future—and our place in it. The need for Pursuit has never been greater.

Every organization in every industry is being forced to evolve. Pursuit is no exception.

This year, our working theme is “Evolve or Die.”

It’s about challenging ourselves to rethink, move fast, and adapt:

• Rethink Priors: It’s a new world. We’re questioning everything—models, assumptions, principles. Nothing is sacred.

• Velocity (Days, Not Years): The mission is long-term, but our actions can’t wait. We’re moving faster, making progress in days, not years.

• Build in Public: We’re sharing the journey—successes, failures, and all the messy parts in between. It’s a better way to learn and connect with our community.

We’re kicking things off with Pursuit Build Day, our first-ever staff event dedicated to building with AI.

Here’s the idea: What can AI empower our staff to create? Not just engineers—everyone. Many of our team members aren’t coders, and that’s the point. AI is a tool that lowers barriers, enabling more people to build and create.

Today is about experimenting, exploring, and pushing boundaries. We’ll share what we learn and build throughout the day.

Change is happening fast, and we’re ready to evolve with it. Pursuit’s mission is more relevant than ever, and we’re excited to share this journey with you.

Subscribe to our updates, follow us online across our various social media accounts, and join us as we navigate this new world together. Because the future starts now. Let’s build it.

Notes on workflow:

We are experimenting with content creation using AI. Tools used to generate this post include Granola, Limitless, Wave, and Jasper.