Award-Winning AI Technologist
Building AI for Good · Social Enterprise · Human Centred Model Augmentation
I'm Charlie Garnish — an AI technologist, social enterprise founder, musician, and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.
I believe technology should serve humanity, not the other way around. My work sits at the intersection of artificial intelligence and social impact, building platforms that protect, empower, and connect the people who need them most.
As the founder of GLYNDA CIC, I lead a community interest company that operates multiple platforms dedicated to LGBTQ+ wellbeing. From the Ask Bobby AI directory signposted to over 1 million active monthly users, to DorothyAI — a sex-positive conversational AI for Friend of Dorothy — and Glynda.org, a private chemsex support and wellbeing platform backed by psychologists and harm reduction experts.
I champion Human Centred Model Augmentation (HCMA) as a framework for responsible AI development — putting lived experience, accessibility, and community safety at the core of every model and system I design.
I also advocate openly around chemsex and its impact on the LGBTQ+ community, contributing to education, harm reduction, and the wider conversation around queer health.
Social enterprise platforms powered by AI, designed with empathy, and built to scale.
The community interest company that operates all platforms. GLYNDA CIC is the social enterprise umbrella driving LGBTQ+ wellbeing through AI-powered platforms, advocacy, and community-led technology.
View Case StudyA private chemsex support and LGBTQ+ wellbeing platform providing structured journaling, practical toolkits, and safe community spaces. Backed by psychologists and harm reduction experts to support gay men with psychosexual and substance abuse issues.
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The UK's LGBTQ+ AI-powered support and connection directory, signposted to over 1 million active monthly users. Built for You Are Loved, finding services, support, and community — powered by intelligent search.
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A sex-positive conversational AI built for Friend of Dorothy, a gay men's supplement brand. DorothyAI handles complex queer questions around topping, bottoming, and sexual wellness — providing contextual product discovery impossible with off-the-shelf solutions. Includes custom Shopify Liquid theme development.
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ADHD coaching, personal support, and workplace neurodiversity training. Built in collaboration with Georgia Franklin-Cook, offering deeply personalised support for neurodivergent minds — including help with brain fog, overwhelm, executive functioning, and daily life.
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A nutritionist-led gut health and fertility specialist platform blending informed nutrition science with digital technology for personalised wellness.
View Case StudyThe world's first fully integrated technology rental suite — CRM, order management, logistics, and asset tracking with built-in MDM & IoT SIM automation. Reduces device prep time by up to 95%.
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A content ownership silo where users protect their digital content and artwork against their verified profile. Shortlink-in-bio meets IP protection.
View Problem & Vision
The gay social media application putting human connection back into play. Real people, real conversations, no algorithms getting in the way.
View Problem & VisionThe IT Awards
Recognised for the Ask Bobby platform's reach to over 1 million active monthly users in the UK, advocacy around chemsex and community impact, and pioneering AI-driven approaches to LGBTQ+ wellbeing.
Ask Bobby signposted to over 1 million active monthly users across the UK
Open advocacy on chemsex, harm reduction, and queer health education
AI platforms driving real outcomes in LGBTQ+ wellbeing and support services
A framework for building AI systems that start with the human — not the data.
HCMA is my approach to responsible AI development. It places lived experience, accessibility, and community safety at the core of every model and system. Rather than retrofitting ethics into existing architectures, HCMA embeds human perspectives from the first line of code.
Models trained on and validated by the communities they serve — not just datasets about them.
AI that removes barriers rather than creating them. Every interaction designed for the widest possible audience.
Clear boundaries between human and machine intelligence. Users always know when AI is in play.
Proactive safety design that anticipates misuse, bias, and unintended consequences before deployment.
Articles, research, and perspectives on AI ethics, community technology, and LGBTQ+ advocacy.
On the emerging digital risks facing LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent communities — from AI-generated slop and hallucinating chatbots to the hidden dangers of off-the-shelf tech platforms and corporate accountability.
The intersection of LGBTQ+ lived experience and AI development isn't a niche — it's a necessity. Here's why diversity in AI isn't just ethical, it's functional.
Moving beyond ethical AI checklists to a structural approach that embeds human perspective into model architecture from day one.
How an intelligent directory platform reached over 1 million users and what it taught us about building technology for marginalised communities.
Every stream directly funds LGBTQ+ support. For every five streams, one conversation with Glynda is paid for — real impact, powered by music.
Five Minute Fantasy, Everybody's Talking, and Labubu Crush are LGBTQ+ pride anthems — safe-for-work celebrations of queer joy and identity. There's also a sex-positive side — tracks like Good Boy, Feral, Backseat Bend, and No Type — unapologetic, provocative electronic bangers best enjoyed out and about or in the car.
Deep proficiency across Google Cloud, Firebase, AI/ML, e-commerce, and mobile development — orchestrated to deliver seamless, secure, and scalable platforms.
The backbone of every platform I build. GCP provides the serverless, auto-scaling infrastructure that allows small teams to deploy enterprise-grade systems. Cloud Run handles containerised microservices with zero cold-start overhead. Cloud Build automates CI/CD pipelines. BigQuery powers analytics at scale. Vertex AI and Gemini Enterprise drive the conversational AI systems behind Ask Bobby and DorothyAI. Workspace APIs (Drive, Meet, Calendar) integrate directly into client platforms for booking, file management, and video consultations.
Firebase is the connective tissue of my platform architecture. Firestore provides real-time, offline-capable document databases with granular security rules — I'm highly proficient in designing complex multi-tenant data models with row-level access control. Firebase Auth handles identity across every platform with custom claims for role-based permissions. Cloud Functions run serverless backend logic. Hosting delivers sub-second page loads globally. Together, this stack lets me ship production-grade platforms with the reliability of enterprise systems at a fraction of the cost.
Stripe powers every payment flow — from DivergentMind's coaching subscriptions (including Access to Work funding) to Gut Intentions' practitioner billing. SendGrid handles transactional and marketing email across all platforms. Google Analytics is deployed with custom measurement specifications, heavily scaled down to limit data capture and prevent cross-site tracking of vulnerable users. Shopify GraphQL drives real-time product data for DorothyAI, while custom Shopify Liquid theme development powers the Friend of Dorothy storefront.
Cross-platform native applications built with React Native and Expo, sharing a single codebase across iOS and Android while maintaining native performance. Node.js powers the backend services that support these applications. This stack is the foundation for Orbit: Social By Nature and future mobile-first products, delivering native push notifications, camera access, and platform-specific UX without maintaining separate codebases.
Every AI system I build follows the HCMA framework — Human Centred Model Augmentation. Rather than deploying monolithic AI models, I use cascading, isolated model calls in a three-tiered architecture: each stage passes through strict algorithmic gates that verify responses against real database records before continuing. This eliminates hallucinations, drastically reduces token usage, and ensures factual accuracy at every step. Conversational AI and NLP/NLU are tuned for community-specific language — including slang, tone, and cadence — making platforms like Ask Bobby and DorothyAI genuinely accessible.
My unwavering ethos around data privacy isn't an afterthought — it's architecturally embedded into every platform from the first line of code.
When you run a social enterprise that serves vulnerable communities, privacy and security aren't compliance checkboxes. They are an absolute minimum standard — locked into my CIC articles as a non-negotiable foundation. It's fortunate that my standard exceeds these expectations.
The UK Government's Cyber Essentials framework is an absolute must — standardising critical baselines for device access, infrastructure security, and digital safeguards. While many grassroots organisations don't even know to ask for it, and audits can exceed £10,000, I maintain these standards as default practice across all platforms.
Full compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. But compliance alone is insufficient — I design systems where personal data is minimised by architecture, not just by policy. Granular Firestore security rules enforce row-level access control. Custom analytics prevent cross-site tracking. No data leaves a platform without explicit, informed consent.
Platforms are designed to meet EU GDPR requirements for cross-border data protection, ensuring that users across jurisdictions receive the same rigorous privacy protections regardless of where they access services. International data transfer safeguards are built into the infrastructure layer.
I take absolute personal responsibility for data privacy. I spin up custom, in-house analytics to prevent cross-site tracking from giants like Google and Facebook. I maintain an uncompromising stance against the external monetisation of support services. Grassroots fundraising and in-platform community offerings are necessary, but I strictly oppose external monetisation through targeted ads, data-sharing agreements, and the commercial profiling of vulnerable users.
When a vulnerable person leaves one of my platforms, their journey on the wider web should not be influenced or targeted based on a moment of crisis. That is a line I will never cross.
Consulting, architecture, and development services rooted in ethical AI and human-centred design.
Custom AI solutions built with purpose. From conversational systems to intelligent platforms, designed around your users' real needs.
Scalable, secure platform design from concept to deployment. Firebase, cloud-native architectures, and modern web stacks.
Bespoke web applications, progressive web apps, and digital products built with modern frameworks and best practices.
Making digital experiences inclusive using AI-powered accessibility tools, assistive technology integration, and universal design principles.
Implement Human Centred Model Augmentation in your organisation. Workshops, audits, and strategic guidance for responsible AI.
Technology strategy for social enterprises and CICs. Building sustainable digital products that generate impact alongside revenue.
Whether you're looking for AI consulting, platform architecture, or want to collaborate on something with purpose — I'd love to hear from you.
charlie@glynda.org
