AI Policy

As an author, I value the importance of original content created by humans for human consumption. To that end, I am strongly opposed to books written by Artificial Intelligence.

That said, I believe AI can be used ethically as a tool to assist authors and other writers. Use of AI should be governed by the following values:

  • Transparency
  • Accuracy and human oversight
  • Privacy and security
  • Accountability
  • Education

How I use AI:

I will occasionally use AI in the following ways.

  • To assist with early-stage research and summarization with human verification of all facts by multiple (three or more) sources.
  • Support with transcription of videos or audio and support with translation from other languages and translation to other languages if necessary.
  • Suggestions for synonyms, antonyms, similes, etc. – similar to how one would use a Thesaurus
  • Assist with grammar, spelling, and looking up of precise definitions of words or phrases
  • Assist with one-to-two-line log lines or pitches for social media
  • Assist with photo manipulation of purchased and legally owned original or stock photography (NOT photo generation) on book covers, using features such as: recoloring, resizing, background removal, blurring, sharpening, layering. etc.
  • Assist with video manipulation (NOT video generation) of original photo/video content, using features such as: trimming, sharpening audio, resizing, recoloring, background removal, blurring, sharpening, layering, etc.

In every case, any AI-generated, or AI-assisted output is reviewed at a minimum of five times — by myself, a professional editor, a professional proofreader, as well as beta readers and critique partners, before it’s even considered for publication.

How I will not use AI:

  • I do not and will not use AI to generate written content longer than one or two sentences – I will not and do not endorse the use of AI generation of full chapters, full book manuscripts, full synopsis of manuscripts, book proposals, etc.
  • I do not and will not and will not generate images from scratch using AI. This includes for use on digital and print book covers, social media posts, website or newsletter banners, images, thumbnails, and so forth.
  • I will not use AI to generate videos from scratch. 
  • I will not use AI facial-recognition tools to identify subjects in images or alter the integrity of an image, or alter depictions of real people or places. This includes recreating faces, changing expressions, or adding or removing individuals from scenes.
  • I will not use AI to simulate/generate the likenesses of any real person, living or deceased.
  • I will not use AI to generate music, songs or narration audio to go along with any videos posted on any of my platforms.

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