Living Lab
Help shape the future of socially responsible AI in the South West.
The Living Lab is Tech4Good South West’s year-round engine for ethical, place-based innovation where charities and technologists build real AI tools that serve communities across our region. Building on our AI Peer Network's foundation of learning and connection, the Living Lab is where ideas become reality.
We live here. We work here. We care about the impact of technology on our neighbours, networks, and shared future. That’s why this Lab exists. Whether you're a charity with a challenge, a technologist with skills to share, or a policymaker passionate about ethical innovation, we want to hear from you. The Living Lab channels this local energy into a shared innovation infrastructure, one that reflects our region’s values of collaboration, inclusion, and social purpose.
The Living Lab is open for rolling expressions of interest from:
Charities & VCSEs ready to co-create a solution
Tech professionals & students keen to volunteer skills
Funders, local authorities, and ecosystem partners exploring how to support scalable social innovation
What We've Built So Far
This isn’t hypothetical, we’re already building solutions with charities across the region:
Challenge: internal knowledge sharing
Solution: AI assistant to query “Essential Information” (strategy docs), surface updates, and support staff and trustees using Microsoft Copilot integration.
Challenge: Dispersed advice tools and outdated databases
Solution: Unified AI-powered assistant for website users, pulling from SharePoint and legacy systems to offer plain-language, real-time answers.
Challenge: Limited ways to hear community voices in service design
Solution: “Virtual focus group” assistant trained on real personas to inform internal teams and bring lived experience into strategy.
2025 Q4 Living Lab Focus
Data & AI Foundations for Custom Assistants
Following a pilot August-October 2025, the final quarter of 2025 will focus on a cohort of Living Lab focused on the critical building blocks of effective AI: data management and infrastructure. Recognising that quality data is the foundation of any successful AI implementation, we'll help organisations:
Develop robust data frameworks - Create organised structures for information that powers AI tools
Implement knowledge management systems - Transform scattered resources into accessible, structured content
Build data governance processes - Establish ethical approaches to data collection and usage
Create sustainable data pipelines - Design systems that keep information current and reliable
These essential foundations will enable the development of specialised GPT-based assistants that reduce staff workload, improve service accessibility, and preserve vital organisational knowledge.
Why This Matters
Reduced charity time on repetitive queries
But.. increased human interaction as a result so charities can support their communities more, one to one, human to human
New ways to include service users in tool design
Secure data flows and long-term digital roadmaps
Volunteers gain:
Real-world, mission-aligned projects
Skills in responsible AI, UX, data ethics, and co-design
A sense of purpose beyond profit
Funders and ecosystem partners support:
Scalable infrastructure for responsible innovation
Regional resilience through civic tech capability
Clear impact evidence, storytelling, and case studies
What Happens Next?
Interested in learning more before committing? Join our AI Peer Network first to build confidence and understanding.
Express your interest
We review expressions of interest on a rolling basis for the Living Lab and each quarter, we form new project teams. Major events like Bristol Tech Festival (October) and Winter Showcase (December) serve as cohort milestones.