AI Usage Policy
Human journalism, clearly accountable
is written and edited by people. This policy sets out the narrow, transparent ways we may use artificial intelligence — and the lines we will not cross.
We believe cultural journalism depends on human judgement, taste and accountability. Artificial intelligence can support parts of our work, but it does not report, review or decide what we publish.
People write and edit our journalism
Reporting, reviews, criticism and analysis are the work of named journalists. A human writer and a human editor are responsible for every published piece, in line with our Editorial Standards.
Where AI may assist
Where it genuinely helps, we may use AI tools for supporting tasks such as transcription, translation drafts, research signposting, copy-editing suggestions and organising large datasets. In every case the output is reviewed and verified by a journalist before it informs anything we publish.
Where AI is not used
- Not for critical judgement. Reviews, ratings and criticism reflect the honest opinion of a human critic — never a machine.
- Not as an unchecked author. We do not publish AI-generated articles presented as the work of our journalists.
- Not for fabricated media. We do not use AI to create images, audio or video that could mislead readers about real people or events. Any illustrative use is clearly labelled.
Verification and disclosure
Any AI-assisted material is subject to the same fact-checking as the rest of our work. Where AI has played a meaningful role in a piece, we disclose it. We also protect the confidentiality of sources and unpublished reporting when using any external tool.
A policy that will evolve
These tools are changing quickly. We will keep this policy current as technology and best practice develop, always guided by the same principle: technology serves our journalism; it never substitutes for human accountability.
Editorial Policies
Explore the rest of our editorial standards
Every policy in our editorial suite is public and cross-linked. Read the full framework, or browse each standard individually below.