When the Metal Treating Institute (MTI) launched WallyBot in April 2024, their goal was bold: lead the industry in AI adoption and give members instant, accurate answers—without adding strain to staff. A little over a year later, MTI’s CEO Tom Morrison says the results have exceeded expectations.
Tom has always pushed MTI to “lead from the front.” When ChatGPT was introduced, he saw an opportunity to pair that kind of technology with a closed, association-specific model through Betty AI.
“Technology is the only way you can expand capacity without adding people or stressing out the ones you have,” Tom explained.
Within one board meeting, the decision was made: MTI would pioneer an AI-powered knowledge assistant for its members.
WallyBot’s rollout came in deliberate stages:
Phase One – Load all MTI-specific member service content into WallyBot. Members could instantly get answers on conference details, dress codes, and membership value.
Phase Two – Add more than 1,300 technical articles from the past decade, quadrupling WallyBot’s content base.
Phase Three – Onboard suppliers to contribute their technical resources. Instead of members contacting multiple companies for information, WallyBot consolidates it all into a single answer.
This approach not only streamlined access to information but also preserved critical real-world knowledge from retiring industry veterans.
MTI downloads WallyBot conversation reports monthly, sorting out questions that can’t yet be answered. Some gaps are due to missing prompts (“4400 steel” vs. “How do you heat treat 4400 steel?”), while others reveal content MTI can add. The process ensures their AI assistant continually improves and stays relevant to exactly what their members need and are looking for from them.
One of WallyBot’s biggest advantages is that it only uses MTI’s vetted content—unlike public AI models that pull from the open web. This builds trust and ensures answers are authoritative and on-brand. Members have even compared WallyBot’s responses with ChatGPT’s and found WallyBot has access to unique MTI-specific insights, that ChatGPT just doesn't know about.
MTI’s embrace of AI doesn’t stop there. Tom shared examples of using AI to:
Organize 35 technical sessions into tracks in 60 seconds (a task that normally took two days).
Draft newsletter articles and session descriptions.
Generate strategic planning questions for the board.
Act as a “second brain” for brainstorming and content structuring.
Tom’s advice for other association professionals is clear:
“If you’re not moving forward in this technology, you’re running backwards… People who know how to use AI effectively are the ones who will have the jobs—and the competitive advantage.”
With the labor shortage expected to last another 15–20 years, MTI sees AI not as a replacement for people, but as a capacity multiplier—helping staff and members do more, faster, and with greater accuracy.
WallyBot has become more than just a digital tool—it’s a strategic asset, a knowledge preserver, and a competitive differentiator. For associations considering AI, MTI’s journey shows that the key is to start with a clear vision, roll out in focused phases, and continually refine based on member needs.