A recent study by the Center for Democracy Research (CDR), an independent technology and research organization, found that most rights-based organizations in Türkiye use artificial intelligence (AI) for routine tasks such as writing and translation, while three out of four have no internal rules for using it safely. As AI becomes more common in civil society, an important question emerges: how can organizations move beyond everyday use and start using these tools in ways that strengthen participation, transparency, and advocacy while also protecting the communities they serve?
In 2024, the CDR, together with the Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP), carried out the “Gov2AI | Enhancing the AI Capacity of Civil Society in Türkiye and the Digital Transformation Roadmap” research project. Gov2AI Civic Labs is implemented by CDR. It is supported through the Digital Spark granting scheme, as part of the Regional Support Mechanism EECA project, implemented by Metamorphosis Foundation and TechSoup, in partnership with CIVICUS and under the Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI).
The aim of the project was to better understand how civil society organizations in Türkiye are using artificial intelligence and what kind of support they need. The research quickly revealed an important gap. While many organizations had already started using AI in their daily work, very few felt confident discussing how these tools should be used, what risks they create, or how they could support their broader mission.
This gap between AI adoption and organizational preparedness became one of the central findings of the project.
AI for emails, not for the mission
Among the organizations that participated in our research, 81 percent said they already use AI tools in some form. Most use them for writing, translation, reporting, communications, and design. ChatGPT, DeepL, Canva, and DALL-E were among the most frequently mentioned tools.
However, when we looked at how AI was being used, we found that most organizations were using it to save time rather than to advance their mission.
Only 16 percent of respondents said AI plays a significant role in activities such as monitoring public institutions, improving access to information, analyzing policy developments, or producing evidence for advocacy. More than half said they had no budget for AI tools and relied entirely on free versions, while many were unsure where AI could realistically support their work.
In other words, AI has become part of everyday organizational life, but it has not yet become a meaningful tool for civic impact.
What civic technology can do
Technology also has an important role to play beyond improving internal workflows. In our own work, we have seen how civic technology can make public information easier to understand, encourage citizen participation, and support transparency and accountability.
This idea is also reflected in CDR’s own civic technology initiatives. Through Referandom, parliamentary debates and legislative proposals are transformed into accessible summaries that allow citizens to follow developments more easily, express their views, and engage with decision-making processes. Through Policyful, complex governance and policy information is converted into structured and accessible formats that support monitoring, transparency, and evidence-based advocacy.
These examples demonstrate how technology can help make public information more understandable and public participation more meaningful.
Yet our research suggests that many organizations have not been able to apply this same approach to their use of AI.
The safeguards gap
Another challenge identified during the research was the lack of safeguards around AI usage and security.
Among organizations already using AI, 75 percent reported having no internal policy or guideline governing its use. Even among organizations that had received some form of AI training, many had not yet introduced practical measures related to transparency, accountability, or ethical use.
At the same time, concerns about AI were widespread. According to our survey, 87 percent of respondents worried that AI systems could create risks related to data protection and individual rights. Every organization interviewed believed AI could negatively affect democratic processes through misinformation, biased outputs, or manipulated content.
These concerns are not theoretical.
A staff member working under pressure may upload sensitive information into an AI system to quickly summarize a document or prepare a report. While this may seem harmless, it can expose sensitive information to systems that the organization does not fully understand or control.
For organizations working with women, young people, refugees, LGBTQ+ communities, and other vulnerable groups, these risks can have real consequences.
The challenge is not that organizations are unwilling to use AI responsibly. The challenge is that AI adoption is moving faster than organizations’ ability to develop the policies, knowledge, and safeguards needed to manage it.
What Gov2AI Civic Labs does
Gov2AI Civic Labs was created to address both challenges at the same time.
CDR will engage 60 rights-based organizations through workshops in İstanbul and Ankara, followed by a roundtable, with a focus on smaller and emerging groups that have limited technical capacity and face higher exposure to digital risks.
The program has two main components.
The first is a practical AI safeguards toolkit. This includes an AI use policy template, risk assessment tools, verification workflows, bias and inclusion checks, transparency guidelines, and practical recommendations on handling sensitive information.
The second component focuses on no-code data storytelling. Organizations learn how to transform public data into dashboards, visualizations, and public-facing stories using tools that do not require advanced technical skills. The aim is to make data more accessible and strengthen participation, transparency, and advocacy efforts.
The program also introduces organizations to different technology options, including privacy-preserving and open-source alternatives, while helping them understand the advantages and limitations of different AI systems.
Why it matters
Responsible AI is not only a technical issue. It is also a civic space issue.
When organizations can use AI safely and confidently, they are better equipped to make information accessible, hold institutions accountable, strengthen advocacy efforts, and reach the communities they serve. At the same time, they can reduce the risks that come from misinformation, bias, and the misuse of sensitive data.
No single organization can address this challenge alone. That is why Gov2AI Civic Labs focuses on practical, low-cost, and reusable tools that can be adapted by different organizations and networks.
