At 24earth.org, the AI Use Policy establishes how artificial intelligence may be used in the creation, editing, research, organization, and maintenance of website content. Its purpose is to ensure that AI-assisted workflows support accuracy, clarity, efficiency, and editorial quality without replacing human judgment or weakening accountability.
Artificial intelligence can be useful for generating outlines, improving readability, suggesting headings, identifying repetitive passages, summarizing complex material, and organizing large amounts of information. It can also help editors refine language and accelerate routine production tasks. However, AI systems may produce errors, omit context, invent details, or present uncertain information with unwarranted confidence. For that reason, AI-generated output is never treated as inherently reliable.
Human Editorial Oversight
All material created or substantially assisted by artificial intelligence must undergo human review before publication. Editors are responsible for evaluating factual accuracy, coherence, tone, originality, and relevance.
Human oversight includes checking whether the content:
- Answers the reader’s likely questions
- Uses dependable and appropriate sources
- Represents scientific findings accurately
- Distinguishes established evidence from uncertainty
- Avoids fabricated quotations, statistics, studies, or organizations
- Complies with copyright, attribution, and ethical standards
- Matches the editorial purpose of 24earth.org
Responsibility remains with the publisher and editorial team. An AI system cannot be considered the author, editor, or accountable decision-maker.
Fact-Checking and Verification
AI-assisted content must be verified using credible external evidence. This requirement is especially important for environmental science, climate data, legal regulations, public policy, health-related claims, conservation status, historical records, and rapidly changing information.
Statements generated by AI should not be published merely because they appear plausible. Names, dates, measurements, technical definitions, scientific conclusions, and quoted material must be checked against primary or authoritative sources wherever possible.
The AI Use Policy prohibits the publication of invented citations, fictitious research, fabricated expert commentary, synthetic statistics, and unsupported claims. If a statement cannot be verified, it should be removed, qualified, or clearly identified as uncertain.
Acceptable Uses of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence may be used to assist with:
- Brainstorming article ideas
- Creating preliminary outlines
- Developing FAQ questions
- Improving grammar and sentence flow
- Translating draft material for later human review
- Suggesting internal-link opportunities
- Categorizing or tagging content
- Summarizing source material
- Identifying gaps in an article
- Producing alternative headlines or meta descriptions
- Converting approved information into structured formats
These uses are intended to support editorial work, not to circumvent research or professional scrutiny.
Prohibited Uses
AI must not be used to:
- Fabricate facts, sources, quotes, or credentials
- Imitate a real person without authorization
- Republish copyrighted material through disguised paraphrasing
- Generate deceptive reviews or testimonials
- Conceal sponsorship or commercial influence
- Produce discriminatory, defamatory, or harmful content
- Present medical, legal, financial, or safety advice without appropriate review
- Manipulate images or evidence in a misleading manner
- Create false claims of firsthand experience
- Misrepresent speculation as established science
Content that fails these standards should not be published.
Originality and Copyright
AI-assisted writing must remain original and should not reproduce substantial portions of copyrighted material. Editors should review generated text for suspiciously distinctive phrasing, unattributed borrowing, and excessive resemblance to existing publications.
External sources must be credited when ideas, data, quotations, charts, or interpretations are derived from them. AI output does not eliminate the need for attribution, licensing compliance, or respect for intellectual property.
Images and Synthetic Media
AI-generated images, diagrams, and illustrations may be used when they provide legitimate educational value. They should not be presented as authentic photographs, satellite observations, historical records, or documentary evidence when they are synthetic.
Where context requires it, generated or substantially altered visual material should be labeled clearly. Images must not distort scientific evidence, misrepresent disasters, fabricate wildlife encounters, or create deceptive impressions of real events.
Transparency
24earth.org may disclose the use of artificial intelligence when it materially affects how content was produced, especially where readers could reasonably expect clarification. Disclosure may be appropriate for AI-generated illustrations, heavily automated reports, synthetic media, or experimental editorial formats.
Minor uses, such as grammar correction, formatting assistance, or headline suggestions, may not require individual disclosure when human editors retain full control over the final work.
Privacy and Confidentiality
Confidential, personal, proprietary, or sensitive information should not be entered into third-party AI systems without appropriate authorization and safeguards. Editors must consider data privacy, platform retention practices, and potential exposure before using AI tools.
Personal information should be handled in accordance with applicable privacy laws and website policies.
Corrections and Accountability
If AI-assisted content contains a factual error, misleading statement, improper attribution, or other material defect, it should be corrected promptly. The same correction standards apply regardless of whether the mistake originated from a person, software tool, or automated workflow.
The use of AI does not dilute editorial responsibility. Every published article must have a clear chain of human accountability.
Commitment to Responsible AI Use
The AI Use Policy is designed to balance technological utility with editorial integrity. Artificial intelligence may improve efficiency, but speed must never supersede accuracy, fairness, transparency, or scientific rigor.
At 24earth.org, AI is treated as an assistive instrument rather than an autonomous authority. Final editorial decisions remain human, evidence-based, and accountable to readers.
