About the project

The Fieldwork Project is a volunteer initiative based in London. It helps small businesses, charities and social enterprises work out whether AI would help them, and set it up where it would.

Who runs it

The project is run by Gabriele Ferretti, a student on the Master of Public Administration in Data Science for Public Policy at the London School of Economics. The Fieldwork Project is independent. It is not part of LSE, and LSE does not supervise or endorse its work.

Why it exists

In a small organisation a few people cover most of the jobs, and much of their week goes on routine work around the main one: answering enquiries, keeping records up to date, preparing the same documents again and again. AI tools can now take on some of that work. Deciding whether they would help with a particular task, and setting them up properly, takes time and technical knowledge that small teams often don't have to spare. The project provides that help, free.

The work so far

The project began in June 2026. As of September 2026, it has worked with more than ten organisations, mainly small businesses, and also charities and social enterprises.

The work has included:

Sorting incoming enquiries and drafting replies for staff to check
Turning invoices and receipts into bookkeeping records
Keeping customer and booking records up to date from web forms and emails
Preparing routine documents such as quotes and reports from existing templates
Summarising calls and meetings into notes and actions

The project publishes nothing about the organisations it works with, so no names, results or case studies appear here.

Who it is for

The project works with small businesses, charities and social enterprises where someone can spend time explaining how a task is done and someone will look after any system afterwards. The project is based in London and can work in person there, or remotely anywhere in the UK.

It is less suited to:

organisations that need a system maintained or supported after it is set up;
work that must be finished by a fixed date, since volunteer time cannot be guaranteed;
larger organisations, which can usually commission this kind of work.

The project cannot take on every request. Each is considered case by case, and every enquiry gets a reply saying whether it can help.

Terms

Help is given on these terms.

No charge: The project charges nothing, now or later. Any tool or AI costs are paid by the organisation directly to the providers.
Privacy: What an organisation shares stays private. The project publishes nothing about the organisations it works with: not their names, the information they shared, or what was built. The only figure it gives is how many organisations it has worked with.
Access: Access to an organisation's own systems is agreed case by case and kept to what the work needs. Much of the work is done from information the organisation chooses to share.
Ownership: Everything is set up in accounts in the organisation's name. The organisation owns what is built and can change it, pass it to someone else or switch it off.
Basis: Help is given voluntarily, in good faith and without guarantee. The organisation decides what to use and remains responsible for the systems it runs.
After handover: The project does not run, maintain or monitor systems once they are handed over.
Scope: Advice covers AI and automation. It is not legal, financial or data-protection advice, though the project will say when a question needs one.
Independence: The project has no commercial relationship with any technology company and receives nothing for recommending a tool.

Status

The Fieldwork Project is an unincorporated volunteer initiative. It is not a company or a registered charity, and it does not trade.