Dated: 30 July 2025
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is a system of algorithms or computer processes that can create novel output in text, images or other media based on training data and user prompts.
Although GenAI has the potential to facilitate and improve news gathering and storytelling, it also has the potential to diminish credibility and harm our unique relationship with our audience.
In light of the growing use of GenAI technology in the media, The Transmitter has developed a set of principles to guide our use of GenAI. In the interest of transparency, we are sharing these with our community.
Our writers, editors, art team and producers remain responsible for everything we produce and publish. Any GenAI use in our research, reporting or writing, production, illustration, photography or video will be done:
With our mission and values in mind:
- We continue to be committed to producing responsible, freely accessible journalism that is editorially independent and is meticulously researched, reported, edited and fact-checked, through our journalists’ careful vetting, perspective and analysis.
- Our use of GenAI will be consistent with our mission of providing an essential resource for the neuroscience community, helping scientists at all career stages stay current and build connections.
With our readers in mind:
- We believe that when used responsibly, GenAI tools have the potential to help us deliver news and information more efficiently, and to help us report stories more deeply.
- We also believe GenAI tools have the potential to make The Transmitter more accessible to more people through features such as language translations, and through uses of GenAI that we have yet to discover.
With human oversight and accountability:
- All of our content—whether or not it involves GenAI—must meet our editorial standards of accuracy, ethics and integrity.
- We recognize that GenAI tools are prone to bias and error. We will treat any GenAI output as unvetted source material that is subject to human editorial oversight and approval.
- Any use of GenAI in the creation, presentation or distribution of content must include active human editorial oversight and approval.
- We ask contributors to disclose any GenAI use to their editors, and to refrain from sharing any sensitive or confidential information with GenAI tools.
With full transparency:
- We will label any substantial use of GenAI in the creation of articles, images, audio, video or any other media.
- We will also explain how we have mitigated risks, such as the introduction of inaccuracy or bias, with human oversight.
- Where relevant, we will include the name of the GenAI tool used.
- We will not use GenAI to make significant alterations to images, or change an image’s original meaning or intent, without disclosing what changes were made and what tools were used.
With responsibility for developing competence and literacy in GenAI tools:
- We will use GenAI with the understanding that this is a new, imperfect and rapidly developing technology.
- We will provide guidance and training for those responsible for GenAI-based decisions.
We plan to reassess our policy on a regular basis as the potential and our use of these GenAI tools continue to evolve.