AI and Big Data
Free online resources curated for charity and not for profit organisations
As data and emerging technologies reshape the sector, AI and big data are becoming essential to informed decision-making and greater impact.
They enable organisations to analyse information at scale, uncover insights, and improve how services are designed and delivered.
The resources and content highlighted on this page are aligned to the Building Tomorrow’s Skills in Today’s Charities report, written by Andy Lancaster for the Charity Learning Consortium.
5 Skill Development Tactics
AI and Big Data
- Build essential AI literacy for all: Make it easy for staff to learn the basics of AI, how to use it in context, safely and ethically so they can build confident, informed practice.
- Develop ethical and safe-use confidence: Use real work situations to instruct people about GDPR, bias, and making ethical decisions to improve human-centred AI practice.
- Strengthen data fluency across teams: Provide staff with the tools and targeted support they need to understand data and use it to make better decisions.
- Enable hands-on experimentation: Let people try things out. Create safe “sandboxes” and use real problems to let staff practice with AI tools to boost their creative confidence.
- Build strategic capability, not just skills: Help staff understand how AI affects strategy so they can choose the right tools, make better decisions, and have better governance.
Top resources…
Prompt Engineering in L&D
Josh Willcock’s “Prompt Engineering for L&D” shows how L&D professionals can get better results from AI by using clearer, more structured prompts turning prompt writing into a practical, familiar skill built on asking the right questions.
Transforming Learning Culture at Prostate Cancer UK
The L&D team at Prostate Cancer UK has transformed the organisation’s learning culture by using data-driven insights to tailor training initiatives to staff needs. This case study explores the strategies implemented, the challenges faced, and the key takeaways from this journey.
A simple guide to help you understand AI
The article explains what AI is, how it’s used in everyday life, and how newer tools can create content. It also highlights both its benefits and concerns like bias, privacy, and job impacts.
Articles
BBC News (2023) What is AI? A simple guide to help you understand Artificial Intelligence, BBC News.
Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-74697280-e684-43c5-a782-29e9d11fecf3
Chen, M. (2024) What Is Big Data?, Oracle.
Available at: https://www.oracle.com/big-data/what-is-big-data/
Geeks for Geeks (2025a) What is Big Data?, Geeks for Geeks.
Available at: https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/big-data/what-is-big-data/
Geeks for Geeks (2025b) How do Big Data and AI work together?, Geeks for Geeks.
Available at: https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/artificial-intelligence/how-do-big-data-and-ai-work-together/
Hashemi-Pour, C., Botelho, B. and Bigelow, S.J. (2024) What is Big Data and why is it important?: Definition from TechTarget, Search Data Management.
Available at: https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/definition/big-data
IBM (no date) What is Big Data Analytics?, IBM.
Available at: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/big-data-analytics
Kimberling, E. (2023) Introduction to Data Analytics, Business Intelligence, and Big Data.
Available at: https://www.thirdstage-consulting.com/introduction-to-data-analytics-business-intelligence-and-big-data
Oanottage (2023) Introduction to Big Data and Artificial Intelligence: Unleashing the Power of Data-driven AI, Medium.
Available at: https://medium.com/@oanottage/introduction-to-big-data-and-artificial-intelligence-unleashing-the-power-of-data-driven-ai-8bef0c51761
Stryker, C. and Kavlakoglu, E. (2025) What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?, IBM.
Available at: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/artificial-intelligence
Videos and Webinar recordings
Altman, S. (2025) OpenAI’s Sam Altman talks ChatGPT, AI agents and Superintelligence – Live at TED2025, TED.
Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/sam_altman_openai_s_sam_altman_talks_chatgpt_ai_agents_and_superintelligence_live_at_ted2025
Donohue, J. (2013) The upside of data, TED.
Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/jessica_donohue_the_upside_of_data
Duranton, S. (2019) How humans and AI can work together to create better businesses, TED.
Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/sylvain_duranton_how_humans_and_ai_can_work_together_to_create_better_businesses
Etlinger, S. (2014) What do we do with all this big data?, TED.
Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/susan_etlinger_what_do_we_do_with_all_this_big_data
Luccioni, S. (no date) We’re doing AI all wrong. here’s how to get it right, TED.
Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/sasha_luccioni_we_re_doing_ai_all_wrong_here_s_how_to_get_it_right
Ng, A. (2022) Andrew Ng: How ai could empower any business, TED.
Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_ng_how_ai_could_empower_any_business
O’Neil, C. (2017) The era of blind faith in big data must end, TED.
Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/cathy_o_neil_the_era_of_blind_faith_in_big_data_must_end
Qiufan, C. (2021) A sci-fi vision of life in 2041, TED.
Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/chen_qiufan_a_sci_fi_vision_of_life_in_2041?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare
Schmidt, E. (2025) The AI revolution is underhyped, TED.
Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/eric_schmidt_the_ai_revolution_is_underhyped
Wallace, M. (2014) The ethics of collecting data, TED.
Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/marie_wallace_the_ethics_of_collecting_data
Podcasts
The Guru’s Guru (no date) In AI we trust?
Available at: https://feeds.transistor.fm/in-ai-we-trust
The TALK Podcast (2023) Data and Information Literacy, Spotify.
Available at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1HOIUU7WX1pMNA4PiLu4Rw?si=ZoRBUamLS-OoOJMEJbtyAw
View full report here