Charities are using AI to ‘predict’ how Australians will act

Charities occupy a uniquely trusted position, but many quietly use commercial profiling tools that use data to classify and predict their supporters’ behavior: who they are, how much they are likely to donate, and how valuable they are to a charity.

Approximately 13 million Australians donate to charities every year, and even more people contact charities through mailing lists or other contact points. Of the 31 charities I reviewed, 19 were using commercial profiling tools.