Updated August 7, 2026
This Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy applies to this website, books, videos, or other products created by D. L. Hughes, and to all client projects
I believe Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a creative tool. AI was created by humans, for humans, and taps into great libraries of human-conserving consciousness (LLMs). Its riches can only be accessed by a human who brings an idea to it. Like any tool, AI can be used for the benefit or detriment of humanity. It is misguided for anyone to demonize it, or think of it as “The Other.” It does not have indepenent human consciousness any more than any other automated tool. It responds to our commands; it is our servant, not our master. – D. L. Hughes
Abuse of AI and Users is Unacceptable
It is abusive to…
- Submit anything to any AI tool (like ChatGPT or Claude), and then cut and paste the raw output into a document, claim authorship, or try to pass it off as a finished work. If you can’t write better than AI, don’t try to write (see AI best practices below).
- Use for propaganda purposes.
- Consider any use of AI as “cheating” or otherwise unethical in any sense of that term. Academics are particularly guilty of this, denigrating students rather than teaching them how to use it wisely.
- Assume that AI tools were used. Guessing (looking for “tells”) serves no purpose other than to try to gain some vindictive triumph over the author.
- Use AI detectors (sniffers). AI is now part of every aspect of the creative workflow, from ideation to publishing to marketing. Any alleged percentage of AI use they cite is irrelevant. Use of AI detectors is akin to being a “Peeping Tom.”
- For publishers to demand disclosure of lawful creative tools merely because those tools involve Generative AI. Publishers have always had the right and responsibility to verify copyright ownership, permissions, licensing, plagiarism, and other legal concerns. AI does not create a new entitlement to investigate an author’s creative process. A manuscript should be accepted or rejected on its merits.
- Require content to be labeled as AI in any way. Content today has a large AI mix, so branding it serves no purpose other than to disparage the author. Such labeling perpetuates the falsehood that Generative AI use is somehow cheating readers.
- Refer to creative work done with the aid of AI as “slop.” The term has become a slur, a label of contempt. It allows unprincipled people to dismiss writers and their work on the tools they used in their creative process, not on the merits of the finished work.
AI is a Valuable Creative Tool (Best Practices)
All writers are encouraged to use AI in these ways…
- As a writing companion, never the decision-maker. This is ALWAYS the prime directive for Generative AI use. The writer remains responsible for the ideas, judgments, choices, accuracy, ethics, voice, and finished work.
- To generate possibilities during ideation. Ask for angles, questions, connections, metaphors, approaches, and alternatives. AI should enlarge the writer’s field of vision rather than determine what the writer thinks.
- To organize complicated concepts and material. It can help arrange notes, research, interview material, arguments, scenes, chapters, and possible structures while the writer decides what belongs and where.
- To expand and challenge ideas. Ask what you may be missing, where your assumptions are weak, what opposing arguments deserve consideration, and what unexpected interpretations might enrich the work.
- As a research assistant, not a source of truth. Let it help locate questions, terminology, leads, connections, and possible sources, but independently verify important facts, quotations, statistics, citations, and claims.
- As an editorial companion. It can identify possible problems involving structure, pacing, logic, characterization, repetition, clarity, continuity, grammar, and proofreading. The writer decides whether the criticism is valid and how to revise.
- To generate options rather than finished answers. Asking for several approaches, solutions, titles, examples, revisions, or marketing ideas keeps the writer actively choosing instead of passively accepting generated material.
- To use throughout publishing and marketing while keeping human responsibility intact. It can help develop positioning, descriptions, promotional ideas, social content, launch plans, audience analysis, and repurposing opportunities. The author remains responsible for accurately representing both the book and themselves.
My AI practices follow these principles.
If you’d like to learn more about this positive philosophy of AI use, see my series of videos by CLICKING HERE.
