ChatGPT is 1000 Days Old Today – What’s Next for Charities and AI?

ChatGPT turns 1000 days old today. To mark the milestone, our Head of Digital, Jamie Trout, reflects on the opportunities and risks of AI for charities – and shares how we’re approaching this rapidly evolving technology at Simon Community Scotland.

Shaping a responsible future for AI in the charity sector

Today, ChatGPT turns 1000 days old after launching to the public on 30th November 2022. In less than three years, AI has shifted from novelty to necessity — reshaping how we work, learn, and connect.

It is no longer just an experiment. AI is embedded into the systems and tools we rely on daily. It shapes how we search, write, analyse, create, and even how we think.

Yet for all its rapid adoption, we are still only scratching the surface of its impact. The bigger questions are just beginning to emerge:

• How do we govern it responsibly?
  

• How do we make sure it is inclusive?
  

• How do we balance innovation with safety, privacy, and ethics?

For charities, these aren’t abstract questions – they cut to the heart of our purpose and values. At Simon Community Scotland, our priority is always the people we support. That means exploring AI carefully: in ways that are safe, transparent, and human-centred, while still unlocking its potential to improve services and impact. 

Here are some of our reflections:

Opportunities

• Increase efficiency & capacity – Automating repetitive tasks (like data entry or reporting) can free up staff and volunteers for more human-centred work.
  

• Improve service delivery – Chatbots or translation tools can make services more inclusive and responsive.
  

• Strengthen fundraising & engagement – AI can help charities understand donor behaviour, personalise campaigns, and test messaging more effectively.
  

• Unlock data insights – Analysing service data can support earlier interventions and more informed decision-making.

Risks & considerations

• Protect ethics – In sensitive areas such as mental health, substance use, or safeguarding, AI errors or bias could be damaging.
  

• Maintain trust – Donors, staff, and people using our services may feel uneasy about AI replacing human care and connection. At Simon Community, we are clear this will not happen – AI will only ever support our work, not replace our relationships.
  

• Ensure inclusion – If AI tools aren’t tested with diverse communities, they risk reinforcing inequalities.
  

• Safeguard privacy & security – Sensitive data must be protected with the highest care; AI introduces new risks of misuse.

• Resource costs & capacity – Tools and training require investment and time to embed.

Principles for embracing AI well

• Put people first – AI should complement our work – never replace people. At Simon Community, we see AI as a tool to free up more time for human connection.
  

• Be transparent – Be open and clear about when and how AI is used.
  

• Set ethical guardrails – Establish governance for testing, using, and monitoring AI.
  

• Work collaboratively – Share learning across the sector to avoid duplication and shape responsible practice.

Our approach at Simon Community Scotland

Rather than staff using dozens of AI tools with different subscriptions, costs, and security risks, we’ve decided to consolidate our use of AI to just one tool: Google Gemini.

Because we already use Google Workspace for our IT and office software, this felt like the safest starting point to manage risks, establish governance, and get started with AI.

The benefits of this approach:

• Easier for staff – one tool to learn, with shared templates and examples.
• Safer & more consistent – clear data protection and compliance rules and a consistent tone and quality of output.
• Reduced costs – one subscription, easier access to nonprofit discounts.
  
• Clearer oversight – one place for support and updates, easier to track usage.
• Aligned strategy – a joined-up approach aligned with our digital strategy.

This is just a starting point – we may adopt more tools in future as our needs evolve. Beginning with one trusted tool gives us the space to build our AI governance structure, manage AI safely and responsibly, and continue to learn, explore, and benefit from its potential.

Looking ahead

AI brings both opportunities and risks, and there’s no single right path forward. What seems clear is that the organisations most likely to benefit will be those that take time to explore it thoughtfully, guided by their mission and values.

Here are some of the questions we’re asking ourselves — and that may be useful across the sector:

• How will AI improve the lives of the people we support or the work of teams supporting our vision?
  

• How do we manage the risks while unlocking the benefits?
  

• And crucially: where will we be in another 1000 days?

My view: We are still in the infancy of AI, learning to navigate both its challenges and its possibilities. Charities that engage now, with curiosity and caution, will be the ones building the knowledge and confidence to use it effectively and responsibly in the years ahead.

How are you or your organisation approaching AI – with excitement, caution, or a bit of both? What’s working, and what worries you? Let’s learn together

 

• Jamie Trout – Head of Digital – jamie.trout@simonscotland.org