ai policy

AI Policy: Background

While I recognise potential usefulness of various technologies we collectively refer to as ‘AI’ (e.g. in medical research or even climate solutions), I believe that these potential positive outcomes should not be used as a way to shut down discourse around the harms that the most prevalent versions of this technology (i.e. large language models like ChatGPT, Claude, etc) are already causing and will continue to cause if left unchecked.

These harms include harm to our environment & communities, mental health & wellbeing, and outright sabotage of our critical thinking skills, as well as creative and imaginative capacities - not to mention the industrial scale intellectual property theft which is needed to train these large AI models. I do not trust people and companies driving these technologies forward to have humanity’s best interests at heart - indeed, AI companies are actively participating in wars and genocides, and are enabling mass surveillance worldwide.

All of this is incompatible with my values as an artist and a human being.

With this in mind, I have put together the following AI Policy that applies to both my business as a creative educator and mentor, and my creative practice as a photographer, multidisciplinary artist and a writer.

* I do not use any generative or agentic AI tools in any of my work, including image editing, writing, ideation or research. For image post-processing, I do use tools such as sharpening, grain reduction and spot removal which are sometimes labeled as AI but are more algorithmic than generative in their nature. These digital tools have been part of image editing software for decades and I do not consider their use harmful. However I do not use generative AI tools that may add or delete significant parts of an image, or use textual prompts to generate or alter images.

* I do my best to avoid using assistive AI whenever possible. However it is often embedded into some of the tools I use (e.g. Zoom closed captioning, automated podcast or interview transciption) so I will use it when necessary to improve accessibility.

* I do not teach about AI tools or how to use them in your creative practice or business.

* When I work with artists and creatives one on one or in group classes, I request they do not use generative AI for the creative outputs they produce while working with me. While I leave it up to each individual to determine the level of AI use they are comfortable within their own practice, classes I teach and mentoring programmes I run are designed to stretch our own - human! - creative and imaginative muscles. I believe in the power of human creativity and imagination, and in working through the hard parts ourselves - this is where true learning and creative growth happens. To use AI would sabotage that not just for the individual participant but for the whole group.

* I ask anyone attending my workshops, classes, or purchasing downloadable materials to respect my intellectual property and years of work and not upload any materials provided by me to any AI tools for any purpose.

* AI note takers are not allowed into any of group calls that I host to protect privacy of everyone participating. If a client would like to use an AI note taker during our one-to-one work, I request that they inform me and outline how the content is going to be used. I reserve the right to opt out of AI recording of calls.

* While I won’t automatically refuse a collaboration or an interview request with someone who uses AI in their creative practice or business, I will ask to be provided with clarity on how exactly my likeness, words, photographs and any other creative output would be used. I will then decide on whether to proceed with a collaboration on a case by case basis.

* I ask all photography commission clients not to upload photographs I create for them into any AI software for any purpose. All my photographs, including those I create for clients remain my intellectual property and any such use will require my prior consent and payment of an additional licensing fee.

This policy has been produced in July 2026 and may be reviewed in the future as the technology and my relationship with it evolves.

My thinking around AI has been shaped by these people & resources: Naomi Klein, Shae O. Omonijo, Karen Hao, Devon Price, Dr Fatima, Off The Grid Podcast, Keri Jarvis, and work of many others that may not directly speak about AI but inform my overall worldview and values, e.g. Robin Wall Kimmerer, David Graeber, Jason Hickel and others.

P.S. Here's an earlier version of my thinking around AI, written in February 2025. It's around that time that I made my Fuck AI, Make Your Own Terrible Art collage, inspired by a post by stand up comedian Mohanad Elshieky.