The AI Exchange: Summer Digest

From transcribed conversations to AI-reviewed applications, the funding system is experimenting with AI faster than it's communicating about it.

This digest features the latest insights from the AI Exchange, a partnership between CAST and IVAR, set up to help charities and foundations engage with AI in ways that are responsible, equitable and rooted in trust. 

What we’re learning about AI in the voluntary sector

From forms to conversations

Some funders are turning from forms (application and/or reporting) to conversations and using AI tools to transcribe and summarise these discussions in an effort to save time as well as strengthen relationships.This is part of increasing experimentation with AI use in grant-making practices, from application stage to monitoring and reporting. This includes using AI to support due diligence and eligibility checks, as well as using AI to synthesise grantee reports. 

Some of this exploration is in response to the growing numbers of applications, many of which contain generic and bland language indicative of poor AI use. Many funders are concerned about system overload with finite resources and capacity to address this growth. Charities are concerned that this is causing an increase in competition and creating unfair dynamics in the system.

To address this challenge, some funders are requiring funded partners to have AI policies and issuing guidance on AI use (see IVAR's new post about AI and communication for examples). This is likely to play a large role in how AI is used and which tools are adopted and could exacerbate digital inequalities if there isn’t simultaneous investment in tools and training for the charity sector.

These insights come from our bridging workshops as part of the AI Exchange, as well as the AI for Grantmakers Peer Group hosted by CAST.

Charities are calling for clarity about funders' use of AI 

Charities are concerned about how funders might use AI in funding assessments, particularly for decision-making. We hear repeated calls for greater transparency and clarity about the expectations of AI adoption as well as how funders are using AI.

Without clear communication, charities may raise assumptions about AI use, for example, if there are quick turnaround times they may suspect a funder is using AI to review or assess applications.

These insights come from IVAR's Leading in Uncertainty and AI sessions that form part of the AI Exchange.

Communication about AI is a really good place to start

Some of the key challenges that charities and funders are experiencing as a result of AI (its use and assumed use) could be minimised through clear communication. However, less than a fifth of Open and Trusting funders have communication about AI published on their websites.

Upcoming events

Funders using AI in funding application processes: A deep dive workshop

Tuesday 14 July, 1.30 - 3pm, Online 

This is a workshop for funders currently exploring or using AI in their funding application processes. This workshop aims to be a space to share experiments (in more depth), examine what’s working well and what’s not, and consider where collaboration might support solutions and the sector.

Register to attend here

Join our networks

• AI for Grantmakers peer group
• Digital Leads Network

What we’ve been busy with at the AI Exchange

Bridging workshop: Reporting

We’ve been exploring ways in which publicly available data could be used in the first step to generate draft reports. We’ve held a number of workshops to identify practices and processes that draw on the capabilities of AI to help funders and charities learn from their work. We’re aiming to share practical guidance shortly. 

Bridging workshop: Conversations

We brought together a group of funders and charities in April to discuss the value of conversations and how AI might support more and richer conversations. The workshop emphasised the benefits of discursive approaches and highlighted some of the ways that AI might be able to support conversations - through transcription and summarising and reducing administrative tasks to free up time for conversations. Many participants also warned that communication and transparency were critical to avoid the use of AI undermining trust in the relationships between charities and funders. 

Leading in Uncertainty sessions

In January and March we convened small groups of charity leaders to share their reflections and responses to AI. The aim is to provide peer spaces for open and honest reflection on the tensions, opportunities, and impacts of AI use without pressure to adopt or implement.

AI at IVAR and CAST

At IVAR, we’ve been navigating our own AI adoption journey. In the last quarter, we’ve developed an internal training programme, which largely consists of a monthly hour-long lunch and learn session dedicated to a particular tool or application of AI. We’re relying on our team to explore and experiment safely and to share their learning with each other. Here are our principles guiding our AI journey.

CAST’s ‘AI Together’ internal learning programme is designed to help the team explore the possibilities of AI as a group, learning and progressing together at a similar pace. In the last quarter, the CAST team have worked on developing an internal document guiding the use of AI notetakers in meetings, considered risk assessments for AI tools, started to look at better team collaboration using AI tools - and have come together to discuss ways to create shared prompts and process guidance around the use of AI in user research.