Jane Spencer Editorial

AI Policy

AI Policy

Please also read the AI and Application Use section in my Terms and Conditions. If you have any concerns, please do contact me. I’m happy to talk.

My AI Use

I do not use generative AI in my editing. I am offering my services as a human editor with years of training and experience, who can appreciate nuance and context, and who can edit sensitively, maintaining your own voice and style.

I do use digital applications to support my editing, such as macros in MS Word and the consistency checker PerfectIt, but these are not generative AI tools and do not replace my professional human knowledge or judgement – I decide what to do with any issues they highlight.

Some applications may come with AI tools (such as Word’s Copilot), but I do not use these.

However, I do feel it’s important to be transparent and declare the use I do make of AI, which is occasional and minimal:

  • If I am fact-checking, I may follow some of the AI-generated results through. If I do, I always investigate thoroughly, looking past the AI results to the sources of the facts.
  • I sometimes use AI as a thesaurus. If I haven’t been able to find what I’m looking for in my usual thesaurus, sometimes AI can help me get to the word that’s on the tip of my tongue, or at least get me closer!

Writers’ AI Use

It is not for me to tell you how to write your book. However, I believe that the desire to be a writer should inherently involve the desire to hone the craft of writing. The use of generative AI impedes that at best.

I do not work on manuscripts that have been written entirely using generative AI.

I require all writers to declare whether they have used generative AI to write or edit their manuscript to any extent. If AI has been used, I reserve the right to refuse to work with that manuscript. If I discover after beginning work that AI has been used, I reserve the right to cease work and cancel the contract.

It’s not a problem to use digital tools such as Word’s spellchecking functions, online dictionaries and thesauruses, or tools such as macros. Anything that doesn’t have a generative AI element and relies on you to make creative decisions is fine. Please do contact me if you have any questions or concerns.