Charities need to ensure they deploy artificial intelligence technology and other digital tools “around real user needs, accessibility and lived experience” rather than “internal assumptions, legacy processes or supplier promises”, a report is warning.

The call has been made by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations in its latest Digital Call to Action report.

This includes a focus on ensuring charities put “people first in all digital change” amid an upsurge in use of tools, such as ChatGPT, in the sector.

Since its last Call to Action report in 2022 take up of AI tools, also including Copilot and Claude, has increased from one in ten charities in Scotland to nine in ten.

The SCVO stresses that “digital tools and platforms are only useful when they fit into people's lives and meet their needs”.

Charities are being urged to carry out research among users when building products and using AI technology.

This ensures they see “fewer queries and support requests from people using your services”.

However, to do this requires building in “time and capacity” to carry out surveys, analyse evidence and listen to ongoing feedback to make changes, the SCVO warns.

Its report cites health and social care charity ALLIANCE as an example of effective consultation with users, through the setting up of its Digital Citizen Panel that enables “diverse voices to shape service design and improvement”.

This charity’s clear guidance around AI use is an example others in the sector can learn from, said the SCVO.

Charity leaders have also been called on to ensure they treat decisions around digital as a “leadership and governance responsibility”.

“Boards and senior leaders must prioritise digital, data, AI and cyber risk as strategic issues, setting clear direction, realistic ambition and sustained investment over time,” said the SCVO’s report.

It also calls for investment in “skills, confident and culture – not just tools” adding that “technology alone will not fix problems rooted in ways of working, capacity or culture”.

Approach AI ‘with curiosity and care’

AI also needs to be approached “with curiosity and care”, says the SCVO.

“Explore the potential of AI through small, safe, values-led experiments,” states the SCVO report.

“These should be grounded in good data governance, transparency, trust and human judgement, not hype or fear of missing out.”

Charities are being urged to adopt “light touch” governance around AI that can evolve quickly as the technology advances so their staff “can experiment with confidence”.

Support charity Unity Enterprise’s piloting of AI in supporting carers is an example of a charity effectively deploying the technology in this way.

The charity told the SCVO that its use of AI to support young carers to find grant opportunities takes into account that “not everyone can read or has access to laptops”. This saw it deploy voice activated technology, which is also being tested to see how it responds to emergencies.

SCVO digital evolution manager, John Fitzgerald, added: “Used well, digital and technology can make charities more effective, resilient and responsive, enabling better outcomes for people without increasing costs.

“Used poorly, or ignored, they can deepen exclusion, drain capacity, increase risk, and undermine impact.

“This is not about chasing the latest technology. It is about building a voluntary sector that can thrive, adapt and deliver impact in a digital society.”

Last November a report into AI use by charities warned that just under half of charities “rarely involve affected communities in AI projects” and online one in seven regularly engage with communities when deploying the technology.

This report, by digital firm 3 Sided Cube, calls on the sector to improve their community engagement around decision on using AI across their organisation and services.

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