December 26, 2025.
Use this before you publish anything touched by AI: podcast, script, blog, game, or documentary.
1. Transparency
Have you clearly stated where AI was used (research, drafting, editing, voices, images)?
If AI generated or altered audio, images, or video, is there a notice somewhere your audience can reasonably see or hear it?
2. Consent & Data
Are you sure the tools you’re using are not built on obviously illicit or non-consensual datasets (e.g., scraping private archives, undisclosed likeness training)?
If you used real people’s data, stories, or likenesses, do you have permission, or a defensible journalistic/public‑interest rationale?
3. Bias & Harm
Did you scan the output for stereotypes, skewed portrayals, or patterns that punch down on vulnerable groups?
For true crime or sensitive topics, have you checked that AI-generated descriptions do not sensationalize violence or dehumanize victims?
4. Accuracy & Accountability
Did a human (you) verify factual claims, timelines, quotes, and attributions rather than trusting the model?
Is it clear, to yourself and, if needed, your audience, that you, not the AI, take responsibility for errors and harm?
5. Privacy & Safety
Does any AI-assisted content expose private information, doxxing, or identifiable details that could endanger someone?
If you’re using AI for personalization or analytics, have you minimized data collection and respected privacy expectations and laws?
6. Labeling Creative Manipulation
If you used AI to simulate a voice, face, or scene, is it labeled as synthetic or reconstructed (unless clearly fictional and artistic)?
Could a reasonable viewer mistake your artistic use of AI for documentary evidence? If yes, add friction: captions, disclaimers, or behind‑the‑scenes notes.
7. Human Intent
Can you state in one sentence what human intention guided the AI use in this piece (e.g., “to clean audio,” “to prototype dialog,” “to visualize an abstract idea”)?
If you removed the AI, would the work still express your point of view, values, and voice? If not, you may be over‑delegating to the machine.