Just 3% of trustees say their charity is using AI in operations in annual Commission survey
Melanie May | 16 August 2024 | News
Collectively, just 3% of trustees asked in the Charity Commission annual survey of trustees said their charity has so far used AI in its operations. This rose to 8% of charities with an income of £1mn+.
Of the trustees who said their charity is using AI, almost 3 in 5 (58%) said it was used mainly for drafting web content or communications. 39% said it was used to generate internal communications and 37% for research or information gathering. Almost a quarter (24%) are also testing its use in fundraising.
The Commission has posted some guidance on its site to help charities understand the opportunities and risks of AI.
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Charity Commission Director of Communication and Policy, Paul Latham, said:
“AI has the potential to bring about many benefits, particularly if it can help charities free up valuable time spent on resource-intensive tasks, and so make more hours available for high priority areas.
“Whether you are a charity already using AI, are planning to do so or don’t yet know how it might be useful, it is important that you are aware of the opportunities and risks involved, and we have included some pointers on our website. The key consideration is that AI should be used responsibly in a way that furthers your charity’s purposes.
“Today’s research findings are valuable as we get a sense of the emerging scale of AI use within charities. We are doing further work on AI at the Commission to learn more about its potential and risks, and how it fits in with our regulatory role we are continuing to engage with the sector, with central government and with other regulators.”
The annual study questions trustees on how they feel about their role and their confidence in a range of areas, including making decisions, delivering the charity’s purpose, safeguarding, and managing finances. It also covers areas including their perception of public perception of charities, how they feel about charities campaigning, and the media, and about the Charity Commission and its support.
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.