Artificial Intelligence has entered our world (My AI Policy)
AI-generative technology is still a new area, and it’s changing faster than we can keep up. A writer’s personal choice to use this technology needs to be based on the facts as they currently stand.
The following document details what AI technology I use in my work as a writer. I’m not anti-AI, but there are ethical concerns associated with AI-generation particularly around intellectual property rights for authors. This document explains my position, with thanks to Judy L. Mohr who understands this technology much better than I do.
Difference between AI-generated and AI-assisted
While there is still a little grey area as to what is classified as AI-assisted works, the line between AI-generated and human-generated is clear.
As of June 2026, this is how the definitions are being applied to US copyright:
If portions of a story were generated by AI, but the bulk of the story was human-generated, copyright can be obtained, but may be restricted to the human-generated portions. Evidence of substantive rewriting will be required for the AI-generated portions.
AI-generated
If the story (or artwork) was created/written by an AI program from a prompt but without human intervention, the story is classified as AI-generated.
The US Copyright Office will not issue copyright for an AI-generated story under any circumstances.
Human-generated
If a writer used AI-generative technology to assist with research, prompt generation, outline a story, or basic copyediting, but the words on the page were written by the human, then the story was human-generated.
Human-generated stories are protected under copyright law in all countries.
AI-assisted
The legal definition of an AI-assisted story is still a grey area, but there are still some circumstances in which copyright will be issued under US copyright law.
If a story was initially generated by AI but was substantively rewritten by a human (and such documentation can be provided), then copyright may be obtained. Evidence of substantive rewriting will be required.
No AI in Writing or Rewriting
My own works are human-generated. This includes my blog posts.
No AI in My Covers, Audiobooks or Translations
I publish through Inkspell Publishing, a small US publisher. To the best of my knowledge no AI is used to generate my covers. I don’t currently have any audiobooks or translations.
My Use of AI
While I won’t use AI to write or edit, I would be lying if I said that I didn’t use AI technologies at all.
I use an older version of Word for Mac, which has limited AI tools embedded in it, but I will have to update at some point and will make and inform you of decisions then. My system doesn’t use the prompt concept seen in ChatGPT.
I also use dictation software for notes and while my current Word program doesn’t have AI tools embedded in it, it will be difficult to update my existing systems without confronting that problem.
Google’s search engine is AI-powered, as is the search engine in Facebook and Instagram. That’s not what people see as AI, but that is the reality. I do a lot of my searches specifically requesting no AI, so that I can review primary sources and make my own decision about their credibility.
I am planning to upgrade my skills with regard to the use of AI-generative tools to help me understand how my GEO (generative engine optimization) and AEO (answer engine optimization) are working. These are the next level of SEO (search engine optimization), and I’d like to understand that within a search, regardless of how that search is conducted, that my books, blog posts, and information appear in those searches with appropriate attribution and quotation.
The Landscape is in Flux
The landscape surrounding AI is in a constant state of flux. Cases regarding copyright are still waiting to be heard, and the technology itself is advancing faster than we can keep up.
There is a possibility that I might adopt AI to take on mundane business administration tasks in the future (no guarantees either way). Regardless of how I elect to use AI in the future, I will keep you updated.
If you are interested in hearing more about AI from Judy L. Mohr as the technology progresses and the landscape changes, check out her blog posts on the topic.
Last reviewed: October 2026
