The NZ Drug Foundation uses AI to maximise our impact in reducing drug-related harm in Aotearoa New Zealand, guided by principles of ethics, responsibility, and transparency.
Key Principles
People-first
AI is used to enhance our team’s capacity, not to replace people or increase output expectations. Our people are supported to build their confidence, but we are intentional about what we offload to AI and what we keep exercising as humans.
Impact-led
We prioritise use of AI that enables us to do more of our highest-impact work. AI is a means to our mission, not an end in itself.
Innovative
We use AI to experiment and explore innovative solutions.
Privacy
Our work deals with a range of sensitive health information and we take our responsibilities to privacy seriously.
Safety
We serve people who experience multiple challenges and may be in a state of distress – AI systems that have direct communication with the public must be safe.
Human accountability
People are responsible for what AI produces under their direction.
Transparency
We are open about how we use AI, internally and publicly.
AI supports, not supplements, expertise
AI enhances our capacity but does not replace the core skills, knowledge, and relationships that define our work.
Proportionate
We consider whether AI is the right tool for the job, and weigh its benefits against costs.
Responsive
We acknowledge AI is rapidly developing and that our approach will need to adapt and evolve too.
Last updated: April 2026