A Word on AI

Yes, I use AI. No, it doesn’t do my thinking for me.

Artificial intelligence is part of my creative toolkit.

So are notebooks, cameras, editing software, research, spreadsheets, an unreasonable number of browser tabs and more than fifteen years of experience creating things on the internet.

I don’t believe those things cancel each other out.

How I Use AI

I use AI to support parts of my creative and business process. That can include brainstorming, exploring concepts, organising ideas, developing drafts, researching directions, experimenting with visuals and speeding up repetitive parts of production.

What it doesn’t replace is me.

The ideas I choose to pursue, the opinions I publish, the brands I work with, the products I recommend and the final creative direction are mine.

If my name is on something, I’m responsible for what goes out.

Human in the Loop. Always.

I don’t believe good content comes from typing a prompt and publishing whatever appears.

AI output can be wrong. It can be generic. And occasionally it produces something so spectacularly odd that the only sensible response is to close the tab.

Everything intended for publication goes through a human process of selection, editing, fact-checking where appropriate and creative judgement.

AI can accelerate the process.

It doesn’t get the final say.

AI Images

I may use AI-generated or AI-assisted imagery as part of creative, conceptual or illustrative work.

I don’t use an AI-generated image to pretend that I’ve personally photographed, worn, tested or experienced a product when I haven’t.

Where the distinction matters to understanding the content, I’ll make it clear.

Reviews, Recommendations & Brand Work

AI doesn’t have opinions. I do.

If I’m reviewing a product, discussing my experience or making a personal recommendation, the judgement belongs to me.

Likewise, brands working with me are hiring Hayley, not an autonomous content machine.

If a project has specific requirements concerning AI-generated material, tell me in the brief. I’m happy to establish those boundaries before we begin.

Why I’m Open About It

I don’t think creators need to pretend modern tools don’t exist.

I’d rather be transparent about how I work.

I’ve watched blogging, social media and digital content change repeatedly over the years. Tools evolve. Platforms evolve. Creative work evolves with them.

My approach is simple:

Use the technology. Keep the judgement. Add the personality.

Because efficiency is useful.

But beige, soulless content produced at speed is still beige, soulless content.

Hayley A Young — Polymath profits through content creation.