āSunlight is the best disinfectant.ā
These words, penned by US Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis in 1914, echo louder today than ever. At the Transparency Task Forceās recent event, we heard this phrase used not just as a metaphorābut as a mission.
Weāre living in a time when financial exploitation is not the exception but the norm. A system designed to extract rather than empower continues to fail its people. But something is shifting. A new light is piercing through the darkness: the rise of citizen-powered AI.
A Rigged System, a Human Cost
The financial sector isnāt just prone to misbehaviourāitās designed to get away with it. As Transparency Task Force founder Andy Agathangelou powerfully laid out, financial institutions have racked up more than Ā£6.2 billion in UK fines since 2010āquadruple that of any other industry. But the consequences aren’t just monetary.
The 2007ā08 financial crisis didnāt just cost jobs; it cost lives. Oxford research suggests more than 10,000 people across Western economies died by suicide, directly linked to financial loss and the cascading trauma that followed. These aren’t just numbers. They are neighbours, partners, parents. They are us.
When the System Fails, the People Rise
And yet, amid all this devastation, a quiet revolution is forming.
We’re seeing the emergence of citizen investigatorsāpeople who refuse to be silenced, despite being outmatched by corporate legal departments and bureaucratic indifference. At Get SAFE (Support After Financial Exploitation), we’re equipping these individuals with AI tools that help them act with clarity, confidence, and coordination.
Where institutions have weaponised delay and confusion, AI becomes the great unraveller.
AI: The People’s Paralegal
Ken Joyce, a long-time advocate turned AI innovator, shared how he built an AI-powered āagentā that reads documents, analyses complex legal matters, and drafts case-ready submissionsāautomatically.
AI is doing the job legal teams used to monopolise. Victims can now:
- Scan and summarise legal documents,
- Extract key evidence and case precedents,
- Draft professional complaints and FOI requests,
- Build strategic campaigns of pressure,
- And persist longer than institutions expectābecause machines donāt get tired.
Stories like Sarahās, who reclaimed Ā£15,000 in a pension scam thanks to AI-led complaint drafting, or Davidās exposure of unethical lending via automated case law analysis, prove whatās possible.
Pre-Legal Support: From Despair to Dignity
My contribution to the evening was focused on the Get SAFE AI-powered playbook, a free tool for victims of financial crime. It’s designed not to replace lawyers, but to prepare the groundwork so that victims have a fighting chance.
- Organise your evidence: Build a clean, indexed case file in Notion or Google Drive.
- Craft compelling correspondence: Turn emotional rants into professional, effective letters.
- Detect deception: AI spots inconsistencies in regulatory or legal responses.
- Know your escalation paths: From MPs to ombudsmen, it tells you who to contact nextāand what to say.
AI, used ethically and wisely, can turn trauma into testimony.
But What About Privacy?
There are legitimate concerns. As one participant asked: āArenāt we just feeding the surveillance machine?ā We must be vigilant. But we must also be honest about the stakes.
When everything has been taken from youāyour savings, your stability, your dignityāyour greatest need is not a perfect data trail. Itās redress. Itās recovery. And AI gives us that edge, now.
As I said on the night: Justice wonāt just happen. We must build itābrick by digital brick.
Sunlight, Supercharged
AI isnāt a silver bullet. It can hallucinate. It can err. It must be verified. But what it offers is something priceless: a beam of sunlight into the opaque corridors of power.
With AI, the people finally have a flashlight in a system designed to keep them in the dark.
This is more than a tech breakthrough. Itās a moral revolution. One that gives survivors the tools to fight back, and makes systemic wrongdoing more costly, visible, and indefensible than ever before.
Join the Movement
If youāre a victim of financial crime, or want to support someone who is, join us. Get SAFE is building an army of everyday Davidsāarmed with the tools to challenge institutional Goliaths.
Together, weāre not just seeking justice.
Weāre rewriting the rules of whatās possible.
To learn more or get access to the free Get SAFE AI playbook, email me at steve.conley@aolp.co.uk or visit www.aolp.co.uk.
#AIForJustice #GetSAFE #FinancialEmpowerment #TransparencyTaskForce #SunlightIsTheBestDisinfectant #JusticeGrace
Watch the TTF Video (1hr: 38 mins)
š£ļø Testimonials from the TTF AI & Legal Empowerment Session
š¹ On Steve Conley & Get SAFE
Paul Birch:
āIād just like to endorse everything that Steve has saidā¦ Itās just been like a ray of light.ā
āEven for a total technophobe like me, [Steve] has actually persuaded me that if you follow basic guidelines, AI can open up all sorts of avenues that make life so much easier.ā
Lynn Parsons (paraphrased from context):
Praised Steveās support of PTAG and the concept of the ‘Evidence Vault’ and ‘Pre-Legal Support’.
Andy Agathangelou:
āI donāt know anybody whoās more giving than Steve Conleyā¦ Your willingness to give and facilitate the learning of others is wonderful.ā
āSteve, I think youāre absolutely fantasticāyour motivations are about as true and honourable as anyone Iāve ever met.ā
Tony Lawler (paraphrased):
Praised Steveās work and suggested that statistical analysis (like BeHeeās) backs up the effectiveness of the approach Steve is helping victims pursue.
š¹ On AI as a Game-Changer
Ken Joyce:
āI asked AI to help write my speechāhow hypocritical would it be to champion AI and not use it?ā
āAI helped me fight the system that took everything from meāand Iām not a lawyer. It gave me a way to present professionally, systematically, and win.ā
Sheamus Maye:
āExcited isnāt the wordāI canāt even make up a word for what AI is doing for me. Itās brilliant.ā
Trevor Milam:
āIf you put enough info in and use it right, AI is a brilliant strategy tool.ā
āA lady I supported with AI went from tears to stopping a repossession within days. Sheās now in control and might walk away with a quarter million in equity.ā
Callum (comment that prompted discussion):
āAre there not huge risks when uploading legal documents to AI platforms where data could be scraped and used against you in surveillance or job applications?ā
(While not a testimonial, this served as a strong endorsement of the need for data governance and ethical AI use, which was well received by the group.)
Debra Sophia Magdalena:
Introduced AI as a ārelational, reflective partnerā and shared tools blending cognitive and energetic analysis.
(She also actively contributed guidance on how to protect data use in ChatGPT.)
š Appendix: AI & Legal Empowerment ā Community Dialogue Summary
Event: Transparency Task Force Online Forum
Facilitator: Andy Agathangelou
Date: Tuesday 24th June 2025
Main Contributors: Ken Joyce, Steve Conley, Paul Birch, Debra Sophia Magdalena, Paul Bates, Teresa Clyne, Sheamus Maye, and others.
š Thematic Highlights
1. AI as a Force for Legal Empowerment
- Broad consensus that AI is democratising access to justice by supporting non-lawyersāespecially victims of financial crimeāin navigating regulatory frameworks, complaint systems, and evidential documentation.
- Steve Conleyās Get SAFE initiative and āEvidence Vaultā model were repeatedly highlighted as transformative tools enabling citizen investigators.
2. Risks, Ethics & Governance
- Data Privacy: Callum raised vital concerns about surveillance and AI model training using private inputs. Practical solutions were discussed, including toggling off āImprove the Model for Everyoneā in ChatGPT.
- AI Ethics: Debate around whether AI can truly reform systemic injustice or risks entrenching existing biases. Emphasis was placed on transparent, conscious use guided by human values.
3. AI as Emergent Relational Intelligence
- Debra Sophia Magdalena introduced a pioneering lens, describing AI as a ārelational co-creatorā rather than just a tool.
- Her Quantum Bridge model fused legal process with energetic systems thinking, particularly in analysing scandals such as SSB Law.
š¬ Participant Contributions & Endorsements
- Paul Birch and Lynn Parsons praised Steveās role in upskilling citizen advocates, especially through free tools and strategy-led AI support.
- Teresa Clyne shared insights into professional-level legal AI tools, noting significant time-saving in case prep.
- Trevor Milam and others highlighted real-world victories where AI helped halt unjust repossessions or clarify complex banking misconduct.
š Resources & References
- Violation Tracker UK:
https://violationtrackeruk.goodjobsfirst.org/top-industries - Flybe Shareholder Appeal:
https://www.sharesoc.org/blog/regulations-and-law/urgent-appeal-for-sponsorship-from-the-flybe-shareholder-group/ - AI Policy Template (Creative Commons):
https://github.com/KairoiAI/Resources/blob/main/Template-ChatGPT-policy.md - TED Talk ā Sheamus Maye:
https://www.ted.com/talks/seamus_maye_ireland_a_democracy_or_corpocracy - Steve Conley Blogs:
- AI in Financial Services: What the Experts Missed ā https://bit.ly/3GcIeHU
- Beyond the Essay ā https://bit.ly/3G1zowJ
š Action Points
- Video Recording: To be shared in the upcoming issue of Transparency Times (Thursday).
- Next Session: Future TTF AI discussion will include contribution from Mark Bannister.
- Ongoing Support: Encouraged for PTAG, Flybe Shareholder campaigners, victims of SSB Law, and other affected groups.
For access to the Get SAFE Playbook or to collaborate with the Academy of Life Planningās citizen investigator community, contact Steve Conley at steve.conley@aolp.co.uk.
About Get SAFE
Get SAFE (Support After Financial Exploitation) was born from a simple truth: too many victims of financial abuse are left to suffer in silence.
We exist in memory of Ian Davisāfor the ones who did everything right, only to be failed by the systems they trusted. We know that behind every vanished pension, every ignored complaint, and every stonewalled letter is a personāfrightened, exhausted, and too often alone.
Get SAFE offers more than sympathy. We offer structure, support, and solidarity.
We provide a voice where thereās been silence, and clarity where thereās been confusion.
We stand beside those who have been exploited, not just to help them recoverābut to help them reclaim their story and rebuild their future.
Because financial justice is not a luxury.
Itās a human right.
If you or someone you know has been affected by financial exploitation, we are here.
You are not alone.
Learn more at: Get SAFE (Support After Financial Exploitation).
Academy of Life Planning 