AI Policy

I've seen it suggested that authors should have an AI policy, so that readers know what they're getting. The short version is this: I don't like generative AI, and I don't use it. The longer version is below.

Research

I don't use AI to assist my research. A lot of my research is done at archives and using other sources that aren't accessible via the internet, so an AI couldn't access those sources. Even for those sources that are available online, I wouldn't trust an AI, and would spend at least as long checking its output as I would using more traditional methods. I'd rather just do the work myself.

Writing

I don't use AI in my writing. I currently write in novelWriter, which doesn't have any AI integration.

It's common to use AIs to create citations, which often leads to non-existent citations. I use Zotero to manage my research, and use that to format my citations, which I add as I write.

Formatting

Most of my books are formatted by myself, using Vellum, which does not have any AI features. A few of my books have formatting that is too complex for Vellum. Those books are formatted by a human book designer, using Adobe InDesign.

Covers and images

My covers are created by humans, usually using stock photography rather than AI-generated images. If I need or want a particular image and can't find something suitable from stock imagery, I hire a human artist.