AI24 Editorial Standards
Ethical AI journalism that supports—not distorts—public understanding
Why Editorial Ethics Matter
At AI24, we believe AI-generated content must support—not distort—public understanding. Our mission is to reimagine how news can be experienced visually, without compromising factual integrity or audience trust. We are not a replacement for journalism, but a visual and emotional amplifier of it.
We recognize that news can be stressful, and many people shy away from reading it. Our goal is to make news more accessible through abstract art visualization while maintaining the highest ethical standards.
What We Visualize
- Verified Journalism Only: We only create visuals based on verified, professional journalism sources.
- No Fictional Events: We never illustrate fake events, speculative headlines, or hallucinated scenarios.
- Context Required: Every image links directly to its article source. Headlines, timestamps, and source identity are always visible.
AI Disclosure
All visuals generated by AI include a badge noting:
- • The model or tool used
- • The artist or system that composed the visual
- • A prompt summary (when applicable)
- • An explicit AI label (e.g., "AI Art", "Generated Illustration")
Editorial Process
- 1Curation: News items are selected based on diversity of region, issue, and publication.
- 2Verification: Only reputable journalistic sources are eligible.
- 3Prompting: Prompts are written to evoke metaphor, tone, or subject—not to simulate photographic truth.
- 4Review: Every image undergoes internal editorial and bias review.
- 5Publication: Visuals are released with direct links to the journalism that inspired them.
Ethical Implications & Mitigation Strategies
1. Truth & Legibility``
Challenge: Abstract ≠ untrue, but it does blur literal detail. Emotionally charged colour-fields or gestural marks can amplify a headline's mood and overshadow nuance, nudging viewers toward a particular reading.
Mitigation: Add persistent visual cues (e.g., "AI-assisted abstract interpretation") and metadata that links back to the original article. Pair every canvas with a concise text summary so users can cross-check facts quickly (transparency by design).
2. Bias in Training Data
Challenge: Most generative-image models under-represent people of colour, women, ageing bodies, non-Western motifs, etc. Result: the "news" you show may quietly centre some identities and erase others.
Mitigation: Curate or fine-tune on a dataset that deliberately over-indexes on diversity. Give users a bias "thermometer" toggle that reveals how representative the underlying dataset is for each prompt—turn bias-hunting into a feature, not a footnote.
3. Artistic Appropriation & Copyright
Challenge: Training on or mimicking recognisable living painters' styles without permission risks infringing both copyright and moral rights. Older works may be public-domain, but estates can still object if the result feels exploitative.
Mitigation: Collaborate with contemporary abstract painters and give them rev-share or prominent credit. Restrict style transfer to public-domain or user-contributed palettes, or implement an "opt-in" registry for artists who want to license their brushstrokes.
4. Emotional Manipulation & News Fatigue
Challenge: Abstract visuals are powerful mood shapers; used irresponsibly they can crank outrage or dread (exactly what click-economics already incentivises). Over-stimulating colour + rapid-fire news updates can heighten anxiety or doom-scroll exhaustion.
Mitigation: Let users set an "aesthetic tempo"—soft palettes for sensitive topics, or a daily digest that slows the feed. Build mindful breaks ("breathe" or "pause" cards between stories) to keep the experience humane.
5. Carbon & Compute
Challenge: Large-scale image generation is energy-hungry. Artistic experimentation shouldn't quietly externalise its footprint.
Mitigation: Batch-generate off-peak on low-carbon cloud regions; surface eco-stats in the UI. Offer a low-energy "sketch" mode that swaps full-res outputs for lightweight vector abstractions when detail isn't crucial.
6. Potential Upsides (When Done Right)
- Media-literacy booster – translating dense articles into colour, rhythm and texture can pull in audiences who ignore text-heavy feeds.
- Empathy through aesthetics – abstract forms may sidestep sensational photo-journalism's "poverty porn" and still evoke human stakes.
- Collaborative canvas – inviting viewers to remix or comment on the abstraction could turn passive consumption into active reflection.
User Controls & Accessibility
Global Controls
- • Palette Intensity: Calm / Default / Vivid
- • Mode Toggle: Art + Text / Text-Only
- • Bias Monitor: Highlights under-represented entities
- • News-Free Timer: 15min / 1hr / 1 day breaks
Accessibility Features
- • WCAG AA color contrast compliance
- • Full keyboard navigation support
- • Descriptive alt text for all images
- • Adjustable text size independent of system
Legal Positioning
- Not Fake News: We do not claim to report facts. We provide artistic renderings anchored in journalism.
- No Deepfakes: No real people are synthesized visually unless the journalistic source itself includes such imagery.
- Liability Protection: All user submissions and prompt tools are reviewed under moderation policies to prevent defamatory or misleading uses.
Legal Awareness
We are actively monitoring evolving legislation and regulatory discussions, including:
- • The EU Digital Services Act
- • The U.S. Platform Accountability and Transparency Act
- • White House executive orders on AI and disinformation
- • Ongoing conversations about AI art and editorial responsibility
Compliance & Transparency
- EU DSA-Ready: Every image includes metadata on origin and AI generation to comply with future Digital Services Act rules.
- Bias & CO2 Metrics: Each visual is labeled with a bias score and carbon impact.
- Public Dashboard: Live transparency dashboard at /ethics updates metrics on source-linking, representation, and artist payments.
Feedback & Oversight
For correction requests or ethical concerns, contact: ethics@ai24.live
Quarterly reports are reviewed by our independent AI24 Editorial Ethics Board.
Practical Next Moves
- • Draft an ethics charter covering truthfulness, bias, artist rights, user well-being, and sustainability
- • Prototype with a small, diverse pilot group—collect feedback on clarity, emotional impact, and perceived credibility
- • Iterate your UI labelling system until even a casual scroller instantly understands they're seeing "art about news," not "news photo"
- • Reach out to living abstract painters who'd love the exposure (and licensing revenue) to co-create bespoke styles
- • Publish your dataset and model cards so critics—and you—can audit bias and provenance over time
A Note on Artistic Intent
We believe abstraction, metaphor, and emotion have a place in understanding complex realities. But we also recognize the stakes of news. Our goal is not to confuse—but to compel, to illuminate, and to deepen engagement with the truth.