The Luddite Pledge

As an editor who writes, I understand how hard it can be to trust words we’ve put down to someone else. I take that responsibility seriously and do everything in my power to protect my clients’ words and intellectual property. I will never feed your words to an LLM, AI app, or AI-detection app and I limit my use of line editing apps to basic spelling and grammar checks. I’m happy to introduce clients to a fantastic human copyeditors, including Melissa Rudder at Rudder Editorial! When doing research, I rely on the AI-free browser DuckDuckGo, and primarily use Zotero to manage my research library.

I’ve also taken what I’ve come to call “The Luddite Pledge”:

To the best of my knowledge, everything you see on my website, in my talks, or associated with me was created by human beings without the use of LLM applications such as ChatGPT or other forms of Generative AI. I do not, and will not, use GenAI apps or tools in my work as a freelance editor.

I believe the benefits of GenAI do not, and cannot, outweigh the harm caused to the environment, to art, to people, to us. Therefore, in the spirit of the Luddites, I refuse to use it.

While this is a position I have taken as a freelance editor and in my own writing, I am happy to support authors who have reached different conclusions about the use and benefits of Generative AI. This includes fact-checking research generated with or by an AI app, working with authors to protect their voice and intellectual property to the greatest extent possible when using GenAI, and ensuring accurate references and citations in academic publications.

If you are a writer who has used GenAI in your writing and have questions about protecting your voice and intellectual property, I’m happy to connect to discuss options.

Some of texts that have informed my thinking about GenerativeAI: