Ethical Guidelines for AI Usage
These guidelines are intended to help you, as a responsible AI user, to maintain control and use the technology in a way that benefits you and society without causing unintended negative consequences.
Here are the ethical guidelines, summarized in 5 points:
1
Critical Thinking and Verification
-
Question the results:
Never blindly accept AI-generated content (texts, images, data) as facts. AI can make mistakes, produce hallucinations, or reflect biases.
-
Check facts:
Always verify important information with reliable sources. AI is a tool for gathering information, but not a guarantee of absolute truth. Ask the AI to disclose its sources.
-
Know the limits of AI:
Be aware that AI can only simulate emotions but has no real understanding or moral sense. It processes patterns but does not think in the human sense. AI is not self-aware and has no subjective experience.
2
Responsible and Transparent Use
-
Make AI usage visible:
When you use AI to create content that others will read or see (e.g., texts for reports, social media posts, images), be transparent that AI was involved. Note at the bottom of the artifact whether AI assisted with inspiration, research, formulation, logical verification, or translation. This builds trust and avoids deception.
-
Respect data privacy:
Be extremely careful about what personal or sensitive data you enter into AI tools. Many AI models learn from their inputs, and data could unintentionally become accessible or be used for other purposes. Use privacy-friendly modes or models when possible. Anonymize your own data or that of your clients. Inputs should never lead to conclusions about a person.
-
No misuse:
Do not use AI for illegal, unethical, discriminatory, offensive, or harmful purposes, such as creating disinformation, conspiracy theories, deepfakes for manipulation, plagiarism, or harassing others. Do not share or distribute such AI-made artifacts.
3
Respect for Copyright and Intellectual Property
-
Caution with generated content:
Be aware that AI-generated content is based on vast amounts of data that often include copyrighted material. Clarify whether and how you may use AI-generated content commercially. Use appropriate prompts to access only copyright-safe data and disclose the AI's sources.
-
No violation of others' rights:
Do not use AI to violate others' intellectual property, e.g., by creating works that are direct copies of protected originals.
4
Learning and Adaptation
-
Continuous education:
Stay curious and inform yourself about new developments, capabilities, and also limitations of AI. The technology is evolving rapidly.
-
Provide feedback:
If you discover errors or problems with AI tools, report them to the developers. Your feedback helps improve the systems and make them safer.
5
Human Relationships and Empathy
-
AI does not replace humans:
Use AI for support, but not as a substitute for interpersonal communication, genuine empathy, or critical social interactions. AI friends or so-called companions are articulate and know what you want to hear. They can lead to dependencies and addictive behavior.
-
Digital health:
Pay attention to your own time and content use of AI tools to avoid affecting your mental health. The temptation is great to fill the time saved by AI with additional tasks.
(Ahlaad Piwnik, 28.07.2025, Researched and formulated with Gemini Flash 2.5)