How this research works, and how we look after your data.
Please read this before taking part. It explains how the research is conducted, how your data is handled, and what you can expect from us.
01About this research
Cognitive Commons is an independent research initiative studying the human judgement, know-how and coordination that keep organisations running as AI is adopted. It is run by Catherine McCann of Invistra Ltd. The research is independent and vendor-neutral: it is not sponsored by any technology vendor, and nothing is being sold to you.
02Our research integrity principles
- We report what we find, not what we hoped to find. Findings are reported accurately even where they contradict our own assumptions. We do not shape results to fit a predetermined narrative.
- We are independent. No technology vendor funds or influences the questions, the analysis or the conclusions.
- We share back. Every contributor can receive the benchmark report; the research exists to build a shared, honest picture, not to extract data.
- We are transparent about method. How we gathered and analysed the data is described in the report, including its limitations.
03Collaboration and future research
This survey is the first in a planned series of studies from Cognitive Commons on related themes; future studies may ask different questions of different audiences.
Some future studies may be designed and run in partnership with selected organisations. Where a study is run with a partner, we will tell you who that partner is before you take part, as part of that study's information.
Whoever a study is run with, the way your data is handled does not change. Invistra Ltd remains the data controller for every study, and partners receive only the same anonymised, aggregated findings that all contributors receive. We do not share your individual responses or your contact details with any partner.
If a particular study ever needed to share more than anonymised findings with a partner, we would make that clear to you before you took part in that study and ask for your consent then. It would never be applied to information you have already given.
04Taking part is voluntary
Participation is entirely voluntary. Completing the survey is taken as your consent to take part on the terms in this document. You may skip any question, and you may stop at any time; if you don't submit, nothing is recorded. You can ask us to remove your responses afterwards (see Your rights).
For interviews: if you take part in a follow-up conversation, we will confirm your consent again at the start, tell you if we wish to record it and why, and proceed only with your agreement. You can decline recording, pause, or end the conversation at any point.
05What we collect
- Your answers to the survey (and, in interviews, your views and experiences).
- Only if you choose to give them: your name, organisation and email — used to send you the benchmark report and, if you opt in, to arrange an interview. These are optional.
- We do not ask for confidential, classified or commercially sensitive operational detail, and we ask that you don't share any.
06How your data is handled
- Lawful basis: your consent, under UK GDPR. Catherine McCann / Invistra Ltd is the data controller, registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), registration number 00015057108.
- Where it is stored: responses are collected through Microsoft Forms and held within Invistra's Microsoft 365 environment, which encrypts data at rest and in transit by default.
- Who can access it: access is restricted to the named researcher (Catherine McCann) alone.
- How long we keep it: contact details (name, email) are deleted within 12 months of the research concluding, or sooner on request. Anonymised, aggregated data with no personal identifiers is retained to support the report and future research.
- Who we share it with: we do not sell your data, and we do not share your individual responses or contact details with partners or any other third party — other than the survey platform, which acts as our data processor. (See Collaboration and future research for how anonymised findings are shared.)
07Anonymity and confidentiality
The research runs under the Chatham House Rule: findings are shared, but contributors and their organisations are never identified. Results are reported only in aggregate. Any direct quotes used in the report are anonymised and stripped of anything that could identify you or your organisation.
08Your rights under UK GDPR
You have the right to ask us to give you a copy of your data, correct it, delete it, or stop using it, and to withdraw your consent at any time. Because responses can be submitted anonymously, please include enough detail (for example the email you used) for us to find your record. You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how your data has been handled.
09Our commitments to you
- To handle your data securely, lawfully and only for the purposes described here.
- To report findings honestly and accurately, including inconvenient ones.
- To protect your anonymity and treat your time and candour with respect.
- To share the benchmark report with you if you asked for it.
10Contact
Catherine McCann, Cognitive Commons / Invistra Ltd — cathy.mccann@invistra.ai. Questions about the research or your data are welcome at any time.