People generally supportive of charities using AI – as long as they’re transparent
Melanie May | 30 January 2024 | News
People around the world recognise the benefits AI can bring to charitable causes, and are generally supportive about them using it but want to know how, according to new research from the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).
CAF’s research sought to understand views about the opportunities and risks to charities of using AI, involving more than 6,000 people in 10 countries: UK, USA, Australia, Japan, Poland, Indonesia, Kenya, India, Brazil and Turkey. It was launched ahead of Microsoft’s first Global Non-Profit Leaders Summit in Seattle, with CAF encouraging technology companies to consider how charities of all sizes can access the opportunities opened up by AI.
Its research found that people are generally supportive about charities using AI. 70% of those surveyed believe that efforts should be made to help charities of different sizes and resources to access AI. More than a quarter (28%) thought the most exciting opportunity was how AI could help with a faster response to disasters, and 25% thought that it was the potential ability of AI to allow charities to help more people.
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It also found that people who donate more to charity tend to be more positive about charities using AI, with those considered higher donors in their country being more likely to appreciate the benefits. However, people also believe that charities should be cautious and transparent about how they use AI, with 83% of charity donors saying they would pay attention to how a charity said it was using AI. Higher donors were more likely to take notice.
Neil Heslop OBE, Chief Executive of the Charities Aid Foundation said:
“AI must not be the privilege of the few. We must work together with the technology industry to ensure it is accessible for small and large charities. Digital advances have great potential to support charities to further their missions and accelerate social progress. As a starting point, AI could help target disaster relief more effectively, decrease the time spent on administrative tasks and improve operations.
“Charities need to also remain alert to the risks, stay close to the human essence of their cause and communicate clearly with donors to further social impact.”
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.