Conscious AI Summit: People First. AI Second.
At Charity Digital’s Conscious AI Summit, Nine Feet Tall hosted a discussion called People First. AI Second. Chaired by James Bradley, the topic brought together Sara Mubasshir, Head of Data & Applications at Mencap; Beth Dodd, Director of Strategic Delivery at Mencap; and Louise West, Strategic AI Advisor at Talan.
The conversation was practical and honest. AI offers real opportunities for charities, but simply introducing a new tool is the easy bit. Embedding and scaling it and ensuring it is always useful, trusted and sustainable is an organisational change challenge.
Design for people from the start
Mencap introduced a case study from their experience of supporting people with learning disabilities. Their view is clear, AI should remove barriers, not create new ones. That means co-producing solutions, using clear language, providing accessible interfaces and training models on data that reflects different ways of communicating and thinking.
Consent matters too. If people cannot understand how their data will be used, consent is not meaningful. As Beth Dodd said: “Success must be defined by the beneficiary. The design must be inclusive and accessible in terms of the user interface.”
Readiness comes before scale
Many charities are already using AI for productivity, knowledge access and process improvement. But access to technology is not the same as readiness. Fragmented processes, inconsistent data, unclear ownership and uneven confidence can keep good ideas stuck in pilot mode.
Louise West put it simply: “Charities aren’t starting from a blank piece of paper. There are a lot of passionate people and inherent processes. We should be asking how AI support their work?”
Louise went on to suggest that charities start with the decisions that matter to their strategy and mission. Then align the processes, data, skills and technology around them. Build where the need is specific, use existing tools where they are good enough and partner where specialist capability is required.
Responsible AI must be part of the operating model
Privacy, safeguarding, bias, misinformation and reputational risk cannot be dealt with at the end. Organisations need clear ownership, proportionate guardrails and meaningful human oversight from the outset.“The responsible use of AI should never be considered a bolt on,” said West. Accountability remains with people, even when AI supports a decision. Charities need to know where AI is being used, who owns the outcome and when human review is essential.
Measure what matters
Sara Mubasshir urged organisations to “start with the end in mind”. A successful pilot should solve a real problem and remove a genuine barrier. Measures should go beyond time saved: does the change improve accessibility, strengthen services or create more space for valuable human relationships?
Not every problem needs AI. Sometimes the better answer is to improve a process, make better use of an existing system or protect the human interaction that matters.”
The takeaway
Conscious AI adoption is people-led change. Technology will keep evolving, but the foundations are familiar: clear outcomes, inclusive design principles, trusted data, confident leadership, capable teams and practical governance.
Nine Feet Tall and Talan help organisations turn ambition into change that works by assessing readiness, aligning leaders and teams, designing practical ways of working and embedding new capability.
If you are exploring AI, running pilots or trying to scale adoption, get in touch. We can help you move forward with clarity, manage risk and keep people and measurable impact at the centre.
