The National Lottery Community Fund has appointed a communications agency to support the launch of its new £3 million AI fund, a programme designed to address what the organisation calls the 'wisdom gap' in technology development. The brief covers media relations and strategic messaging for a fund that aims to bring community voices into how artificial intelligence systems are built and deployed.
The 'wisdom gap' and the £3m fund
The fund's stated goal is to ensure AI tools are informed by the experiences of the people they affect, rather than being shaped solely by engineers and data scientists. The term wisdom gap refers to the distance between technical capability and lived human understanding. By channelling community insight into AI projects, the National Lottery Community Fund hopes to make technology more accountable and practical for everyday use.
Details of the successful agency and the timeline for the work have not yet been made public. The appointment signals that the funder sees clear communication as a critical part of the investment, not a secondary add-on.
Communications strategy for public sector AI
Spending on AI in the public and third sector is rising, but trust remains fragile. Without transparent, well-crafted messaging, even well-intentioned programmes can face backlash or confusion. Bringing in PR support early-before the fund distributes any money-shows a recognition that explaining how AI will be used is as important as the technology itself.
This is not the first time a UK grant-making body has turned to external communications help for a tech-oriented initiative, but the £3m figure and the explicit 'wisdom gap' framing make it a notable example. It reflects a wider shift in the PR industry, where briefs increasingly require fluency in AI concepts alongside traditional media skills. For professionals building that dual expertise, structured learning paths like AI Learning Path for Public Relations Specialists are becoming a fast track to competitive advantage.
Why this matters for PR and communications professionals
The National Lottery Community Fund's decision is a concrete signal that AI-related communications work is moving from niche to mainstream. Agencies and in-house teams who can translate complex technology into plain, trustworthy language will see more demand. For PR practitioners, understanding the language of AI policy, ethics, and community consultation is now a differentiator, not an optional extra.
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