Intentional AI: The safeguard for intelligent awards management

Article written by Dan Whitty, Senior Information Security Manager at Award Force.

AI features are evolving at breakneck speed, leaving awards managers split between two camps: those who won’t touch them and those who deploy them like an experiment. But, smarter tools don’t always guarantee smarter progress.

One of the best examples of this comes from Greek mythology:

When the Trojan Horse rolled into Troy, the problem wasn’t the horse. It was the unchecked assumption of what it was allowed to do.

It’s the real twist in the story; one rooted in human psychology, not mythology. The horse was simply a delivery mechanism. The mistake was the human assumption that it was harmless, without any inspection or control of its purpose.

Modern AI presents similar dilemmas. It’s not inherently “good” or “bad”; it’s simply powerful. And when you work in the business of awards, the smart AI move becomes obvious: Intelligence should never be assumed; it should be activated with intent.

Award Force built its AI tools with exactly this principle in mind. Not turned on by default. Not trained on shared client data. Not quietly operating without oversight.

Awards management systems hold uniquely rich, human-submitted data:

• Personal narratives from entrants
• Contact information and identities
• Judging scores and feedback
• Recognition decisions
• Committee deliberations and program notes

This data isn’t generic. These are the flourishing, sensitive pieces upon which programs are built.

If AI were silently enabled across all workflows by default, it would become impossible to reassure judges and entrants of where their data travelled, or whether it influenced scoring fairly. For awards technology platforms, that ambiguity is the real threat, not the AI itself.

Lessons for safely running an AI-assisted awards program

These are clear, non-technical actions anyone running programs can apply immediately:

1. Enable AI only where it serves the program’s actual goals: Themes, summaries, consistency or constructive feedback.
2. Make human decisions the source of truth: AI provides insight, but humans still hold accountability.
3. Mask personal data before summarising it: Ensure analysis doesn’t reveal more than intended.
4. Treat AI features like a superpower: It boosts your impact, not replaces your effort.
5. Question vendors: How do they isolate and scope AI data access?
6. Record when AI was activated and why: This way, teams can defend intelligence decisions later without guesswork.

As AI accelerates, awards programs don’t need to fear it or blindly embrace it. The real advantage comes from using AI with clarity, consent and control.

By activating intelligence intentionally, protecting sensitive program data and keeping human judgment at the centre, organisations can harness AI as a force multiplier rather than a risk.