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GenAI Use and Misuse

I can’t believe I have to say this, but: GenAI is a tool, not a solution. It doesn’t have magic powers to think for you. Like all tools, it has beneficial and detrimental uses (whether intentional or inadvertent). The tool’s user is responsible for taking the necessary precautions. And that’s clearly not happening in many cases.

I have several clients in the public and private sectors, and I’m not calling any of them out publicly. But in the past few months, I’ve been asked to edit technical documents that were created through GenAI with no fact-checking or other validation from human experts, and without any indication that GenAI was used other than the error-filled output. I’ve even been asked to revise an AI-generated dissertation because the “student” doesn’t like the technical concepts GenAI concocted on their behalf.

I've been a cybersecurity writer for over 25 years. Integrity is core to my life and my business. I want nothing to do with these highly unethical practices, the intellectual property theft they can include, and the garbage that they ultimately produce.

I’m instituting the following guidelines for my work with my clients on documents to be published externally, effective immediately:

  1. All use of GenAI tools to generate content must be acknowledged, along with which portions of the content were AI-generated, which tool(s) were used, and what types of datasets the tools were trained on (publicly available material, copyrighted material, internal-only material, etc.).
  2. Any content created by GenAI tools that were trained on copyrighted material must be clearly marked as such and must be painstakingly evaluated to identify and remove any misuse of copyrighted material. If this is not feasible, the content must be deleted.
  3. All AI-generated content must be fact-checked by human experts before it is passed on to others to review, edit, or read.

I’m not against GenAI. I’m against intellectual property theft and fraud, and I’m against misinforming people. As GenAI evolves, I’ll re-evaluate my stance, but for now…don’t make me ask for your manager.