How to actually use AI ethically

Hi there, I’m Brandy Lawson and here is the 12th episode of Elevated, the podcast helping you build a better Kitchen & Bath Design business. In the last episode, we discussed the ethics of using AI and how you can develop your guiding principles for using these exponentially evolving technologies and tools. This time around we will be digging into ethical AI use in the real world.

I find that it usually isn’t quite enough to just cover the “how to” of any topic that I’m working to wrap my head around. It is most useful for me to see and hear specific examples. This is so I can understand what the principles look like in practice. If this is you also, I’ve got good news. In this episode, we are taking those concepts of ethical AI use and applying them to tangible scenarios. So you too can see what they might look like when actually in use.

Why does it matter that we give credit to AI? It’s not like it is going to get its feelings hurt, yeah? Giving credit to AI is important for several reasons. First, it’s about transparency. When you use AI to create content, your audience deserves to know that the content they are consuming was generated or assisted by AI. This allows them to make informed decisions about the content they engage with. Second, it’s about giving credit. Giving credit to AI is a way to acknowledge the work and innovation of the AI developers and companies behind these tools. Just like we give credit to human creators, it’s important to recognize the contribution of AI in the creative process.

Now, let’s get into some specific examples of how you can apply ethical AI use in your business:

Using AI to repurpose content:

We use an app called Klap to pull out 60-second highlights from our podcast videos. Yes, our podcast has videos that can be found on YouTube). This is a repurposing of existing content, and the value AI is adding is to do the heavy lifting of

• finding the “highlight” clips,
• pulling them out, and
• adding dynamic captions.

Because we aren’t using AI to create content in this way, we aren’t including credit in each video to say it is made by Klap. In the same way that other video content creators aren’t saying they use Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, or iMovie. The AI is assisting in the process, but not creating the content itself, so credit isn’t necessary in this case.

Using AI to help write emails:

When using AI to help write emails, it’s important to keep in mind the purpose and audience of the email. If you’re using AI to generate a complete email that will be sent directly to a client or customer, it’s a good practice to disclose that the email was generated with the assistance of AI. This can be done with a simple line at the end of the email. Something like “This email was created with the help of AI.” However, if you’re using AI to help brainstorm ideas or generate snippets that you then heavily edit and incorporate into your own writing, credit may not be necessary. The final email is primarily your own work.

To make the decision on when to give credit to AI for creating written content, you might make a rule or guideline in your organization so that expectations are clear and no one needs to burn extra brain power figuring it out every time. This could be something like: if AI created more than 50% of the content, credit needs to be given.

Using AI to edit or create images:

When it comes to using AI for image editing or creation, the level of credit needed depends on the extent of AI involvement. If you’re using AI tools to make minor adjustments or enhancements to an existing image, such as

• cropping,
• resizing, or
• adjusting colors,

credit may not be necessary. However, if you’re using AI to generate a completely new image or to make significant changes to an existing one, it’s important to disclose that AI was used in the creation process. This can be done with a watermark or a caption that indicates the image was created or edited with AI. Just as image credits are typically given to their human creators, so should image credit be given when AI is at the helm.

As you can see, the way you apply ethical AI use principles can vary depending on the specific use case and the level of AI involvement in the creative process. The key is to be transparent with your audience and to give credit where it’s due.

In the next episode, we’ll talk about another way to use AI in running your business – formatting. Until then, keep exploring the possibilities of AI and how you can use it ethically and effectively in your Kitchen & Bath Design business.

Are you all in on using AI in your business, but need some hand-on expert help? Book 15-minutes with me at fieryfx.com/chat to get personalized guidance.

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