Charity Commission eyes AI amid application surge
Stuart McKay · Posted on: September 30th 2025 · read
In a significant development, the Charity Commission is exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) within its registration processes, driven by an unprecedented increase in charity applications. For the first time ever, the Commission received over 1,000 applications in a single month, a surge attributed in part to the growing popularity of AI tools among applicants.
Many organisations are now using AI to complete applications at the expense of clarity and specificity leading to a higher number of rejections due to overly generic content. Commission considers using AI as charity applications surge to 1,000 a month
Meanwhile, in its official blog, the Commission’s Head of Registration, Stuart Wood, confirmed that the regulator is actively considering deploying AI technologies internally, supported by upcoming government funding from April 2026.
Their aim is to utilise AI to enhance registration services, balance rising application volumes, and maintain a robust verification process that safeguards public trust. An evolving charity sector – Charity Commission
What this means for charities:
- Trustees and applicants must ensure that any AI-assisted content e.g., application drafts or mission statements, remains genuinely reflective of their charity’s unique mission, activities, and public benefit. Generic, AI-generated descriptions risk misinterpretation and rejection.
- Look ahead: the Commission’s potential adoption of AI tools may streamline parts of the registration process, but its scrutiny standards are unlikely to change. Accurate, tailored responses will remain crucial.
- Organisations can prepare by using available guidance and tools to self-assess their application language and structure, ensuring clarity and compliance.
- Finally, this development signals a broader trend: AI is becoming a regulatory consideration, not solely an operational opportunity. Charities should stay alert to further updates around AI governance and policy, aligning their own practices accordingly.
