FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
Do you have a question about the Power to Shape Public AI CSO Conversation? You’ll find answers here about how it works, who it’s for, and what to expect.
What is the Power to Shape CSO Conversation all about?
Power to Shape: CSO Voices on AI is an open online conversation for civil society organisations (CSOs) to share their experiences, challenges, and ideas around how AI is used in public services. By contributing, you’ll help co-create a framework and agenda for action to strengthen civil society’s influence on AI governance. The outputs will be shared with all participants, feed into an academic paper and, if successful, be presented at a multi-stakeholder workshop within the UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of AI 2025 and/or other similar conferences.
What is a Clever Together 'Conversation'?
A Clever Together Conversation is a large-scale online engagement hosted on a safe, anonymous platform. It allows people to share ideas, respond to others, and vote on the contributions they find valuable. Hosted by Clever Together, it is designed to capture the collective wisdom of CSOs working to shape AI for the public good.
Who is behind the Power to Shape Conversation?
This initiative is led by a collaboration of civil society, academic, and policy experts in responsible AI and participatory governance. It is hosted and facilitated by Clever Together, using their trusted Conversations methodology.
Why is this Conversation happening now?
This initiative emerged as a voluntary, best-effort collaboration among researchers and participatory AI governance practitioners, following the Participatory AI Research & Practice Symposium on the side-lines of the 2025 Paris AI Action Summit. The Summit highlighted a persistent gap: while civil society was visible, its influence remained limited. The Power to Shape conversation responds to the need for increased CSO influence by offering a space for reflection and collective sense-making – at the halfway point between the 2025 and 2026 AI Summits.
Why this format?
The Clever Together platform allows you to participate in a psychologically safe context, from any device, and in your own words. You can read others’ contributions, vote on ideas, and add your voice to a global civil society perspective. This format helps gather meaningful insights that traditional surveys or closed consultations often miss.
Why is the Conversation anonymous?
Anonymity helps create a safe and open space for honest reflection and exchange. By removing names and organisational identifiers, we reduce bias and make it easier for ideas to be judged on their merit, not on who shared them. This is especially important when people are sharing uncertainties, critiques, or emerging thinking. Anonymity supports psychological safety, helping participants speak freely across hierarchies, geographies, and roles. It also helps to surface a broader range of perspectives, including those that might otherwise go unheard. Facilitators will still be able to group insights to identify patterns, but your individual identity will never be connected to your contributions.
Where and when is the Conversation taking place?
The conversation takes place on 23 May 2025 and will be hosted the Clever Together digital platform. It will be open 24/7 for an initial ACTIVE half-day co-creation phase and will then remain open for a two weeks following that. Once you register, you’ll receive login details by email. Participation is anonymous and easy to access on desktop or mobile.
What will happen as a result of the Conversation?
Your input will help shape a common understanding, and framework for action to strengthen CSO advocacy, engagement, and influence on AI governance in public services. The outcomes will be published openly for all to leverage, will feed into a published open-source academic paper and, if successful, will be presented at at a multi-stakeholder workshop within the UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of AI 2025 and/or other similar conferences, as well as future global projects supporting civil society leadership in this space.
Who can get involved?
The Conversation is open to representatives of civil society organisations and academics, especially those working on public interest, human rights, social justice, and AI-related issues, whether locally or internationally. We are interested in a diverse, global representation of civil society voices. To provide a safe space for deep co-creation, funders, corporate representatives or public officials will not be invited to the Conversation.
How do I access the Conversation?
After registering, you’ll receive a unique username and password by email from PowerToShape@clevertogether.com. Check your spam or promotions folder if you don’t see it. For support, contact: support@clevertogether.com.
Why do I need to complete a short survey before joining?
Before joining the platform, you'll be asked to complete a brief survey. This helps us understand the diversity of voices participating and allows for more meaningful analysis of the ideas being shared. Your responses remain anonymous.
What are the rules of participation?
There are two main rules:
1. No personal or identifying comments about individuals.
2. No abusive or offensive content. Such comments will be removed by moderators. If your contribution is moderated, you’ll receive an anonymous message from the platform explaining why.
How will the conversation be moderated?
The conversation is facilitated by Clever Together to keep it safe, constructive, and on-topic. Facilitators may:
- Ask follow-up questions to help deepen the Conversation and co-creation process.
- Move ideas to more appropriate sections.
- Split long posts with multiple points into clearer ideas.
- Remove offensive or inappropriate contributions.
If your post is edited or removed, you’ll be informed anonymously.
Who is Clever Together?
Clever Together is the independent change agency hosting this Conversation. All of its work - including hosting this platform - complies with UK and EU data protection laws. The company operates under the trading name Clever Together Lab Limited and conducts activities across the UK, EU, and EEA.
What personal data is collected during the Conversation?
To support this engagement, Clever Together may collect:
- Your name and email address (for authentication and communication only)
- Optional demographic details like gender, age, and ethnicity
- Your responses to questions shared during the Conversation (free text or numerical)
What is the legal basis for collecting and processing my data?
Where Clever Together is the data controller, your data is processed on the basis of your consent and/or legitimate interests (as defined in Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR). You can withdraw consent at any time by emailing: privacy@clevertogether.com.
How is my data collected?
Your data is collected when you register and respond to the short entry survey or participate in the Conversation (by submitting ideas, comments or votes).
How is my data used?
Your data is processed in accordance with the GDPR and used to:
1. Authenticate access to the platform
2. Communicate with you about the Conversation
3. Analyse your contributions to generate insights
4. Support you with any platform access or participation queries
Where and how is my data stored?
All data is securely stored in encrypted form:
- In the UK (team systems)
- In Ireland (servers hosted by AWS)
- In France (where some team members are based)
All storage providers comply with EU data protection regulations and industry standards.
How long is my data kept?
When Clever Together is leading the Conversation, data may be held for up to 12 months before being securely deleted.
Will my data be used for marketing?
No. If you are participating in this Conversation, your data will not be used for marketing purposes. You may opt out of other communications by emailing privacy@clevertogether.com with the subject line UNSUBSCRIBE.
What are my data rights?
You have the right to:
- Be informed
- Access your data
- Correct inaccurate data
- Request data deletion
- Restrict processing
- Data portability
- Object to processing
- Object to profiling
- File a complaint by emailing privacy@clevertogether.com with the subject COMPLAINT
What are cookies and how are they used?
Cookies are small text files used to:
1. Keep you signed in (if you choose “remember me”)
2. Understand how you use the platform
Clever Together does not track activity elsewhere or use cookies for advertising.