AI Peer Network Session 2: Balancing Data Privacy and Environmental Impact
Tech4Good South West
Addressing technology response to societal & environmental issues and debate unintended consequences of the digital age
Our second VCSE AI Peer Network session brought together organisations from across the South West to tackle two of the most pressing concerns around AI adoption: data privacy and environmental impact. Held on April 31st, the session featured expert insights from Simon Allen (Level.ai) and Mary Stevens (Friends of the Earth), who helped our peer group reflect on these complex challenges.
The Growing Privacy Concern
Recent research highlighted by Ed Howarth revealed a striking shift in attitudes: data privacy concerns as a barrier to AI adoption have jumped from 30% to 70% among surveyed organisations in just one year. This statistic underscored the urgency of our conversation.
Simon Allen, CEO of Level.ai and former Chief Executive of Age UK Bath and North East Somerset, provided practical guidance on navigating the data privacy landscape:
"If you don't pay for the product, then you are the product."
This golden rule reminded participants to exercise caution with free AI tools, where data may be harvested without meaningful user control. Simon emphasised the distinction between AI training (the process of building models with data) and inference (using models to generate responses), clarifying that information entered into tools like ChatGPT isn't immediately incorporated into training data.
Key takeaways from Simon's presentation included:
The Environmental Dimension
While data privacy concerns have risen dramatically, awareness of AI's environmental impact remains worryingly low. Mary Stevens - Experiments Co-Manager at Friends of the Earth addressed this gap, urging participants to consider the full lifecycle environmental costs of AI implementation.
Mary highlighted that a ChatGPT search uses 6-10 times the energy of a standard web search, with additional water usage concerns. However, she pushed the conversation beyond individual tool choices to broader systemic questions:
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"We need to expand the conversation beyond just what tools should I use, or how many litres of water is a ChatGPT search... to a much bigger conversation about who gets to make decisions about AI and what it's for."
Mary introduced Friends of the Earth's report "Harnessing AI for Environmental Justice" and its seven principles, emphasising the need for curiosity about AI: understanding not just how it works, but who controls it and what impact it has.
Discussion
The session sparked thoughtful discussions about responsible AI adoption. Participants raised ideas about creating a register of AI tools with information about data jurisdiction and suitability for the VCSE sector. Another important challenge discussed was the difficulty of auditing for bias when organisations may lack the expertise to recognise it.
The conversation also included a thought-provoking exchange about the need to question the economic structures driving AI development. As one participant noted, the focus remains overwhelmingly on "wealth creation at the expense of everything else," highlighting the need for alternative measures of societal well-being.
During the community shout-outs section, Ed shared a potential "build-a-thon" programme to help organisations develop internal chatbots for accessing organisational knowledge - a promising solution to the information access challenges many VCSE organisations face.
Join the Conversation
Our AI Peer Network continues to grow as a space for practical, informative, and informal knowledge-sharing. Join us for our next online session on June 23rd or meet us in person at Bath Digital Festival on May 14th (2-4pm at Bath College) for our special session "AI in Action: Practical Solutions for Charities & Social Enterprises."
Register for our in-person session at Bath Digital Festival in partnership with 3SG BaNES and Level.AI or our next online session 23 June 2025.
Resources Shared
This peer network is supported by Tech4Good South West CIC, bringing together VCSE organisations across the South West to harness artificial intelligence for social impact.