Our newsroom AI policy – Ars Technica

When we attribute a statement, a position, or a quote to a named source, that material comes from direct engagement with interviews, transcripts, published statements, or documents reviewed by the reporter. AI tools must not be used to generate, extract, or summarize material that is then attributed to a named source, whether as a direct quote, a paraphrase, or a characterization of someone’s views.

We don’t publish claims based solely on AI-generated summaries, and reporters may not represent any material as “reviewed” unless they have examined it directly.

Every author who uses AI tools in the course of reporting a story must disclose that use to their editors, and authors remain fully responsible for their content.

Images, audio, and video

Our visual content, including listing images, illustrations, and video, is produced by our editorial and art teams or sourced from photography services and wire providers. Our creative team may use AI tools in the production of certain visual material, but the creative direction and editorial judgment are human-driven.

We do not publish AI-generated images, audio, or video as authentic documentation of real events. We do not alter documentary media in ways that change their meaning. Standard production work, like color correction, cropping, and contrast adjustments, is fine.

When synthetic media is used in the context of reporting on AI, it will be clearly identified as AI-generated, with that disclosure placed as close to the material as possible.

Accountability is non-negotiable

Anyone who uses AI tools in our editorial workflow is responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the resulting work. This responsibility cannot be transferred to colleagues, editors, or the tools themselves. More broadly, maintaining the standards in this policy is a shared obligation across our editorial operation.

These standards have governed our editorial work since AI tooling became available. When violations occur, we take action. We’re publishing this reader-facing version because our readers deserve to see the rules we hold ourselves to, not just trust that they exist.

This policy was last updated April 22, 2026.