Maya's daughter used a chatbot, with Maya beside her, to brainstorm ideas for a book report. Should she tell her teacher?
Ben's colleague sends a class newsletter that an AI tool helped draft. No one mentions it.
Rosa wonders whether her shop website should say anything about the AI tools she now uses.
All three are asking the same thing. When should I say that AI helped?
Disclosure means saying openly that something was used or done. Here, it means saying that AI helped make something.
It matters most when other people rely on the work. A reader can then decide how much to check it.
A disclosure does not need to be long. One plain sentence is often enough.
| Situation | A plain disclosure (written for this lesson) |
|---|---|
| A child's homework | I used a chatbot to brainstorm ideas. The writing is my own. |
| A class newsletter | An AI tool helped draft this. I checked and edited every line. |
| A shop website | We use AI tools to help draft some product descriptions. A person checks each one. |
The US Small Business Administration, the SBA, suggests a business consider a public statement on how it uses AI.
The US Copyright Office says something related for creative work. People who apply to register a work must disclose AI-generated content in it.
The Copyright Office also says copyright can protect only material that is the product of human creativity.
| Statement | True or false? |
|---|---|
| A disclosure can be one plain sentence. | ? |
| People registering a work must disclose AI-generated content in it. | ? |
| Disclosure matters most when others rely on the work. | ? |
| Copyright protects anything an AI tool makes for you. | ? |
Sources: US Small Business Administration, AI for small businesses · US Copyright Office, Registration Guidance for Works Containing AI-Generated Material (2023)
Tomorrow: reviews and endorsements, and the line you never cross.