# Charity Commission releases new data on AI use in charities

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2024/08/16/charity-commission-releases-new-data-on-ai-use-in-charities/
- Published: 2024-08-16T23:55:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**The Charity Commission has released new data on charities’ use of Artificial Intelligence(
AI), revealing that only 3% of trustees said their charity has so far used AI in
its operations, although this rises to 8% for larger charities with income over 
£1 million.**

Charity trustees were asked about AI use for the first time in the Charity Commission’s
annual survey of trustees, released on 16 August 2024.

Of the trustees whose charities are using AI, almost 3 in 5 (58%) said it was used
mainly for drafting web content or communications, while 2 in 5 (39%) said it was
used for generating internal documents. Some are also testing its use in fundraising(
24%).

## Advertisement

 [⌊Posthub advert. You create the campaign. We'll handle the postal journey. Get started at post-hub.co.uk.⌉](https://fundraising.co.uk/ads/posthub-20261007-300x250/)

Paul Latham, Director of Communication and Policy at the Charity Commission, said
AI has the potential to free up valuable time spent on resource-intensive tasks,
making more hours available for high priority areas.

## Opportunities and risks

He emphasised that whether charities are already using AI, planning to do so, or
don’t yet know how it might be useful, it is important they are aware of the opportunities
and risks involved, and that AI should be used responsibly in a way that furthers
their charity’s purposes.

The Commission noted it is doing further work on AI to learn more about its potential
and risks, and how it fits with its regulatory role, while continuing to engage 
with the sector, central government and other regulators.

The full research is available on [GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-into-public-trust-in-charities-and-trustees-experience-of-their-role-2024).

 * **[Mencap to provide staff with training in data & AI through new apprenticeship offering](https://fundraising.co.uk/2024/08/21/mencap-to-provide-staff-with-training-in-data-ai-through-new-apprenticeship-offering/)**(
   21 August 2024)
 * **[Sector invited to share views on AI & fundraising](https://fundraising.co.uk/2024/10/30/sector-invited-to-share-views-on-ai-fundraising/)**(
   30 October 2024)
 * **[ICO issues advice on using AI tools to help with recruitment](https://fundraising.co.uk/2024/11/08/ico-issues-advice-on-using-ai-tools-to-help-with-recruitment/)**(
   8 November 2024)
