A curated directory of 27 professionals—writers, editors, software developers, and designers—has been published, each documenting their personal policy on using AI tools in their work.
Approaches range from using AI for research and editing support to rejecting generative AI entirely in creative output.
The directory reflects a moment when individual creators are publicly staking out their own positions on AI use rather than relying on external guidelines.
What happened
A directory of 27 creators—writers, editors, software engineers, musicians, and designers—has been published, each documenting their own stated approach to using AI tools in their work, from selective assistance to abstention from generative AI altogether.
Why it matters
As AI adoption spreads across creative and knowledge work, individual practitioners are publicly clarifying their boundaries and principles rather than waiting for industry standards or regulation. Readers can see concrete examples of how different roles (editors, novelists, journalists) are navigating the tension between AI efficiency and their professional or artistic values.
What to watch
The directory spans multiple disciplines—27 people across software, writing, editing, music, design, research, and journalism—showing that AI-use decisions are being made independently across sectors, not uniformly.
The directory is organized by profession and lists 27 creators alongside their stated approach to AI. In the software and writing fields, approaches vary widely. Kitty Giraude (software engineer and writer) practices 'cautious, selective assistance,' while Robert Blickhan (software developer) describes 'principled use of coding agents.' Among writers, Suki Wessling emphasizes that 'a byline means human authorship,' and Alyssa Wiens adopts a 'human first, AI second' stance. Others are more restrictive: Stephen Cox (author) states 'no generative AI in storytelling,' and Anna Cackler (artist and writer) declares 'no generative AI in creative work.' In editing, approaches include human-only editorial practice (Carolina von Kampen), human-reviewed editing tools (Penny Carroll), and specific tools with strict manuscript limits (Kristen Tate). Researchers and essayists, including Kaj Sotala (essayist and researcher), use AI as an 'extensive thinking aid' while retaining authorship and oversight. The directory also includes disclosure practices: Bernadette Kearns (fiction editor) requires 'disclosure before editorial engagement.' Across all entries, the common thread is intentionality—each person has articulated a boundary or principle rather than adopting AI wholesale or rejecting it categorically.
This directory captures a distinct moment in the mainstream adoption of AI tools: rather than awaiting industry standards, trade-association guidance, or regulation, individual creators are publicly articulating their own boundaries. The 27 entries span disciplines where AI's impact is most immediate—writing, editing, design, and software development—and show no consensus; instead, they reveal a spectrum of approaches, from those using AI narrowly for research or administrative tasks to those rejecting it outright from their creative practice. The act of publishing these personal policies is itself noteworthy: it suggests both growing awareness that AI use warrants a deliberate stance and a desire by practitioners to signal their practices to peers and clients before any external standard emerges.
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