Crafting a Usage Policy for GenAI Content Creation

The use of Generative AI in content creation is becoming prevalent—which makes sense as it’s an undeniably powerful tool for developing text, images, and even video, supercharging both creativity and productivity. For marketers in particular, GenAI can help to efficiently produce copy, blog posts, social content, and more. 

By some estimates, GenAI is already being utilized in about three quarters of marketing departments. But be aware such usage can be a double-edged sword, presenting a number of potential risks:

• Privacy Loss — Because many GenAI tools are open source, confidentiality and security of sensitive data entered into such tools is not guaranteed.

• Copyright Infringement — GenAI tools scrape data from vast online sources, with origins that are difficult to trace. This increases the risk of unintentional copyright infringement and plagiarism. Beyond text, visuals created with GenAI pose similar copyright risks. Further, scraped data isn’t always accurate and may contain biases.

• Loss of Intellectual Property Rights — It is likely that companies or persons will be unable to enforce intellectual property rights on AI-generated works.

• Lack of Authenticity — GenAI content is often still without the nuances and natural phrasing of human-generated text. Above all, because it is derivative of other works, it is missing the subject matter expertise that is unique and differentiating of a person or organization.

On this latter point, please note that many media outlets are implementing “no AI” policies for submitted content, such as in the case of guest-contributed bylined articles, opinion pieces, and blog posts. See one such policy example here. 

Also, read The Associated Press standards around its own use of Generative AI.

Usage Policy: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

While the power of GenAI for content creation is significant, it’s essential for companies to acknowledge and reduce potential risks. One way to do this is by establishing a clear internal policy governing GenAI’s use. When crafting such a policy, here are some key considerations, particularly in the realm of marketing content creation:

• Quality Control — Establish guidelines and quality-control measures to ensure that AI-generated content meets predefined standards of accuracy, relevance, and brand voice consistency. In-depth content, such as whitepapers or bylined articles, should be evaluated on whether they provide unique or expert subject matter expertise that is specific to the brand.

• Ethics — Implement transparency and accountability in content-generation processes as well as ongoing monitoring to “flag” suspect content prior to use.

• Human Oversight — Emphasize the importance of human oversight in the content creation process, integrating AI as a supportive tool rather than a replacement for human creativity and judgment.

While GenAI holds tremendous potential to revolutionize content creation, its responsible deployment requires careful consideration of both the benefits and risks. Someday, protocols may arise out of technology advancements and legislation—but for now GenAI’s usage is something akin to the “Wild, Wild West.” Until then, with a clear usage policy, companies can more confidently harness GenAI’s power while safeguarding against the potential pitfalls.

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If you need assistance creating a Generative AI usage policy, we can help. Our team of professionals are available to conduct an assessment of your current AI usage and associated risks, develop written guidelines, and provide worker engagement support. Contact us today.