The Saltways is a video production company that works exclusively with the third sector. We’re on a mission to help the charity sector produce more authentic, inspiring, compelling films ethically, openly and collaboratively.

But over the last few months, we’ve also spent time researching how images generated by artificial intelligence (AI) are being used across the charity sector – and examining what the risks are when it goes wrong. 

You’ll know as well as I do that AI is evolving rapidly and has become a hot topic all over the world. You may have seen The Guardian’s recent investigation into major NGOs using synthetic images that reinforce harmful stereotypes. Important work on AI imagery already existed and we drew on it gratefully. 

However, the conversations we were having with UK charity teams made it clear that guidance built from within the sector, for the realities of how charities actually work, was still missing. So, The Saltways set out to create it. 

Our research and guidelines cover everything from what AI image generation actually is (in plain English), to the legal requirements you need to know about. It also includes how to use AI images responsibly… if you choose to. These free resources are designed to be useful, whether you’re in a team of two, 20 or 200!

For the research, we took on a mixed-methods approach combining qualitative interviews, quantitative survey data, and analysis of existing sector guidance. Between November 2025 and January 2026, The Saltways conducted 11 in-depth interviews with charity sector professionals and surveyed 116 UK charity communications and fundraising professionals.

Our research identified four main reasons why every charity, regardless of size or whether they currently use AI, need to be aware of the implications of AI imagery. Those reasons are:

• AI cannot be ignored
• legal requirements are already here
• safeguarding confusion
• reputation risk is real

You can read more about all of these in the report, but one of the major risks is the erosion of trust in our organisations. Trust is the foundation of charity fundraising and once eroded it’s extremely difficult to rebuild. One charity’s misuse becomes the sector’s problem – as media coverage rarely distinguishes between individual organisations. 

Whilst just over half of survey respondents (55.2 per cent) said they have no plans to use AI images, 19 organisations are actively using them. 16 are using AI images occasionally and three are doing so more regularly. A further ten organisations are considering adopting these images in the future.

Perhaps most telling was that 18 organisations tried AI-generated images and then stopped – suggesting they encountered problems that outweighed the benefits. And interestingly, most of the charities that we spoke to were concerned about how their supporters would react to AI image use.

However, despite this, a whopping 94 per cent of charity professionals we spoke to were either unaware or unclear about their legal obligations around AI-generated imagery.

Here’s what you should know about what’s already in force:

1. EU AI Act
   Requires disclosure whenever AI-generated images are used. Already in force. If your charity has EU donors or service users, this applies to you.
2. Online Safety Act 2023 
   There are provisions in this act around harmful content and transparency on social media.
3. Fundraising Regulator’s Code
   The code already prohibits misleading representation of beneficiaries. It was written before AI existed, but I suspect that the principle would also apply to unlabelled AI imagery.

The UK regulatory picture is still catching up, but the risks to your organisation’s reputation if you don’t cite that you are using AI to generate images… well, those risks could be huge!

We’ve published our free guidelines and full research report to help your charity navigate this. They cover legal requirements, ethical risks, and practical steps your team can take today.

👉 You can download the research here, and the free guidelines, here.

I hope you find these resources useful. But, before I go, I want to touch on one of the most common reasons that charities cited for using AI imagery – to protect anonymity.

However, there is a better way. And this case study is a great example:

UK-based charity Staying Put support women, men and children who are survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence across the Bradford area. They came to us with a brief that required real care.

A woman wanted to share her story, but it needed to be completely anonymous. It also needed to be culturally sensitive and reflect the reality of experiencing multiple abusers – something that required nuance and authenticity, not shortcuts.

We worked closely with Staying Put and the woman herself to shape her story. We presented a range of visual styles within the charity’s budget, took time to find an approach that felt true to her experience, and storyboarded the animation together in a way that kept her agency at the centre of the process. You can watch the final film here (TRIGGER WARNING - this video discusses and depicts domestic abuse against women):

This film has since been nominated for several awards and recently won at the Charity Film Awards. Most importantly, it’s being used by Staying Put to reach women who might recognise themselves in her story.

Anonymity isn’t a reason to reach for AI. It’s an invitation to be more creative, more collaborative, and more respectful.

Don’t forget to download and save the research report and free guidelines on AI imagery, so you have them readily available for any discussions at your own organisation. 

And if you’d like to chat further about ethical imagery or films, please reach out to me by emailing emma@thesaltways.com, thank you.

IMAGES©: The Saltways