Non-profits understand need for equitable approach to AI, but unsure where to begin: survey results

Author Sharlene Gandhi

Non-profits have recognized that ethics and equity in data management are critical to accountable and transparent AI development. However, a survey has found that many are still unsure of how to implement robust data governance internally and are still using haphazard and uncoordinated tools. 

In the first iteration of the AI Equity Project, non-profit respondents from the US and Canada expressed that they needed external support to develop equitable data and AI processes, be that from funders, board members or external consultants. 

Similarly, Carleton University’s Charity Insights Canada Project has surveyed its cohort of non-profit respondents twice about AI in the sector.

In the first survey from March 2023, 46 per cent of respondents felt that AI “could contribute to the perpetuation of bias and discrimination in the charitable sector.”

By the second survey in October 2023, that number rose to 59 per cent. 

Researchers behind the AI Equity Project found that although only 2 per cent of respondents felt fully ready to implement AI, more than 80 per cent are using the technology on an informal or ad-hoc basis already. 

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  • Sharlene Gandhi is the Future of Good editorial fellow on digital transformation.

    Sharlene has been reporting on responsible business, environmental sustainability and technology in the UK and Canada since 2018. She has worked with various organizations during this time, including the Stanford Social Innovation Review, the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business at Lancaster University, AIGA Eye on Design, Social Enterprise UK and Nature is a Human Right. Sharlene moved to Toronto in early 2023 to join the Future of Good team, where she has been reporting at the intersections of technology, data and social purpose work. Her reporting has spanned several subject areas, including AI policy, cybersecurity, ethical data collection, and technology partnerships between the private, public and third sectors.

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